It All Started With Some Blackmail And A Bribe
by Nana707
Summary: Sometimes, I really hate my parents. Dad more so since he's the one who caused all of this. He just had to have his way, even if it means messing with my perfectly planned out life. Drabble-like chapters; my take on a Pokemon hating Trainer.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** One, don't expect many of these. Two, the chapter length as drabble-like, so they are all between 1-2 thousand words a piece, rarely anymore and none any less.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:**_7/15/12 I'm in the process of re-reading this story and editing out the many typo's. If there are any I still miss, feel free to point them out.

_Prologue_

I hate Pokemon.

I absolutely _loath_ them. I could care less if the Pokemon in question is a cute, cuddly Jigglypuff or an extra ferocious Gyarados. They're all the same to me and I hate them _all_.

At first, my parents thought I was joking when I first told them that I had no desire to become a Pokemon Trainer like so many, if not all, of the other children in our town. How they had managed to overlook ten years of me wanting nothing to do with the creatures know as Pokemon I will never know. My best theory so far is they were too busy living in their own little worlds where their eldest daughter would gladly follow in their footsteps and become a world known Pokemon Trainer to take notice my rather plain feelings.

Yeah, right. And I am also secretly a guy only _pretending _to be a girl these past sixteen years of my life.

Needless to say, I brought them out of their sickening fantasies and back to the real world rather quickly. Ah, the looks on their faces when I rejected the offered Pokemon will forever be one of my fondest memories. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, truly I do. What I do not love is their belief I have to become a Pokemon Trainer in order to say I properly lived.

Besides, that is what Stephanie, my little sister, is for. Let he carry out our parents hopes and dreams on becoming the next big thing. After all, for some strange reason she seems to actually like, if not _love_ those horrid monsters known to be Pokemon. Egh; just the thought makes a chill go up my spine. I am still in the firm belief one of us was adopted at a young age, our similar looks be damned. How else would one explain me being the only sane one between the two of us to see Pokemon were _not_ cute little animal like _things_, but blood thirsty monsters only waiting for us to lower our guard to strike?

Okay, so maybe I was going out on a limb there; a really small, thin, and easily breakable limb. Still, though! The possibility is there, one has to admit. Why else would a creature with more power than it knows what to do with willingly follow the orders and commands of a mere human, a powerless being in comparison if one takes away all of our technology? The little and big beasts live off of battling, yet people still find my thoughts of Pokemon being dangerous and untrustworthy monsters as so ridiculous its insane, thinking I'm only saying such to seek attention.

Whatever. Let them think what they will; just do not come crying to me when the beasts finally turn on us and make us become _their_ slaves for a change.

And yet, after six years of refusal, here I am. I might as well be signing a death wavier for, thanks to my father, I am setting off on a thrice damned Pokemon journey.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:**_7/15/12

_Chapter One_

I sat on the forest floor, my legs drawn up to my chest with my chin resting on my knees. Shoulder length brown hair framed my face, strands falling in the way of my narrowed dark brown eyes. Across from me sat a small, purple Pokémon with large ears, front teeth, and glaring red eyes. There were spike looking appendages running along its back and a small but deadly horn sitting on the center of its forehead, full of poison just waiting to be released.

The Pokemon in question was my male Nidoran, forced upon me through both threats of blackmail and bribery. My eyes hardened at the thought, annoyance seeping through as my lips curl into a scowl. The Nidoran answered with its own glare hardening, one of its long ears twitching to show its matching frustration. Neither of us was particularly pleased with the situation, much less each other.

It happened to be the one thing we agreed on.

Already I had been gone for a week, out on my supposed Pokemon adventure. Only gone for a week and I was ready to kill my parents for what they were making me go through.

Silently, I cursed them, my dad more so then my mom. After all, this was mostly his fault. He just could not accept his eldest daughter hated Pokemon and wanted nothing to do with them. No, instead of accepting it like any normal person would, he became determined to go out and prove me wrong. Or, in his words, show me 'Pokemon are amazing and loving creatures!'.

Yeah, like I would ever believe _that_.

I had managed to endure six years of his so called plans of making me 'see the light'. Six, glorious years of being a normal teenager; going to a regular school, studying for a degree for a job which did not involve Pokemon, and hanging out with others who likewise had no interest in Pokemon. It was a good six years.

Then my dad had to go and ruin it.

It began with my prized IPod going missing during the middle of the night. How he managed to pull it off without waking me I still do not know, seeing as how I am a light sleeper. My guess at this point in time was he had had one of his psychic-type Pokemon do the actual stealing, but I have not yet found solid proof to confirm my theory. How he did it notwithstanding, it was gone the next morning and there was nothing that I could do about it.

After that, it was my Nintendo DS and all of the games which went along with it that disappeared while I was gone at school. Again, my dad played off being innocent, acting like he had no idea what was going on. He even went as far as to be angry with me and help in my search of the house.

I might have believed him, _maybe_, if not for having heard him talk about his plan aloud to his Pokemon the next night.

Even though it is a terrible thing to say, my dad is not all that smart outside of Pokemon battles. My sister and I were fortunate in getting out mother's genes concerning brain smarts.

I had confronted my dad the next morning over breakfast. With my sister already gone on her Pokemon journey (our parents were so relieved when she told them that she still wanted to go) it was only my parents and I. Well, there were also my parent's Pokemon, three of my mom's and five of my dad's, so I ca not truthfully say that it was _just_ the three of us. Thankfully, none of the Pokemon eats in the kitchen with us, my parents' considerate enough grant me such.

I had sat in between my parents, each at one end of the table. I waited until my dad was reaching for his coffee before speaking up.

"Hey dad?" I made sure to keep my voice light and soft; innocent, really. A little _too_ innocent apparently. My mom sent me a look, silently asking me what I was up to now, but otherwise remained silent. She was more of a watcher than a doer, preferring to silently watch from the background than to get involved unless absolutely necessary. It was another trait I had received from her.

"Hmm?" My dad answered in a distracted tone, his cup of coffee now at his mouth and newspaper held by his other hand.

I gave a small grin around my piece of toast; perfect. "Do you think you could hold off taking away my laptop for another few nights?"

He choked on his coffee, having to gulp down the amount he had in his mouth in order to cough out what he had swallowed wrong. His eyes were wide in shock, small tears formed at the corners from his coughing fit.

I was by then full out smirking, not even trying to hide it as I stared him down with pleased eyes. It was a look that my mom called my Meowth-caught-the-Pidgey look. "I have this report due soon you see, and it has to be typed. It'd be kind of hard to have it done and in on time, though, if you go through with your plan and take my laptop tonight," I continued in my 'innocent' voice, the complete opposite of my facial expression.

Next to me, my mom had to stifle a laugh.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, kiddo," my dad stuttered out, trying to cover up his surprise with his own fake innocence and laugh, eyes looking anywhere but me.

"Oh, drop the act Robert. She knows," my mom spoke this time, making to attempt to hide her soft laugh at my dad's put-out look. Turning towards me, her eyes gleaming with amusement, she asked, "So how did you find out? You caught on sooner than I thought you would."

She had stopped believing in dad's plans for a while now, having come to the terms I really wanted nothing to do with Pokemon. She did not like it, to be sure, but she was usually good about no longer bringing the subject up. It did not have her make any attempt to stop any of my dad's plans, though, such as now.

I told them of how I overheard him going over his strategy in taking my laptop last night when I was heading to the kitchen for some water. My mom only shook her head at my dad's carelessness then took it upon herself to explain his latest plan.

After hearing it, no matter how much I hated to admit it, it would have been a good idea if he had managed to pull it off. It was, by far, his best thought out scheme in these last six years.

He was going to take and hideaway a wide variety of items from my room over the course of the week then hold them as ransom, saying that the only way that I could get them back would be to go out and collect all eight Gym Badges. For every Badge I got, I would get back one of my taken items in the opposite order they were taken.

By the time breakfast had ended, a decision between the three of us had been reached. One I really, _really_ did not like, but had little say in the matter.

My parents were going to go through with my dad's plan, keeping my IPod and DS 'hostage' until I earned my seventh and eighth Gym Badge. For the other six Badges, for every one I earned, I would be given a reward selected by my mom. If I dropped out before reaching my eighth Badge, any items I would have receiver, including my IPod and DS, would be given away to charity.

Sometimes I hate how my mom's mind works, even if my own process of thought takes after hers.

When discussion concerning my first Pokemon began, my dad offered to have my sister, Stephanie, be the one to give me my first Pokemon. He went on to say something about sister bonding, but I tuned him out at the thought of Stephanie being the one to give me my first Pokemon. Knowing her, she would go out and get me the weakest Magikarp she could find. She was just that kind of person when it came to the two of us. Not that I could really blame her, since I returned the feelings and actions ten-fold when the opportunity presented itself.

My love for my mom went up ever so much when she vetoed the idea as soon as my dad had finished suggesting it, instead saying shewould be the one to go out and catch me a good starter Pokemon, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. While she was gone, for no more than two days she had said, my dad could go out and gather all my needed items for me. My job was to brush up on my knowledge of Pokemon, using the books they had bought me all those years ago when they were still in their make believe world in which I would go out and become the next champion. A world that was becoming realer and realer by the minute to my horror.

The days had passed quickly. Much too quickly for my tastes. Before I knew it I was being dropped off in the middle of New Bark Town, the 'official' starting point for beginning Trainer's. I was given a bag filled with supplies, a sleeping bag, a wallet full of money which also housed my new Trainer I.D. Card, and a Pokemon ball clipped onto my new belt designed just for the purpose.

Hence my current position a week later; sitting on a forest's floor, having a stare down with a Pokemon who hated me just as much as I hated it, and hopelessly, shamelessly, _lost_.

Please, just kill me now.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:**_7/15/12

_Chapter Two_

Kicking a rock out of my way, I scowled at a tree I swore I had passed before.

Down beside me walked my -I shudder at the thought- Pokemon, a male Nidoran. Much like myself, it had a dark frown on its face as it kicked pebbles and twigs out of its way with its stubby legs. I had refused to return it, much to its displeasure.

If I had to suffer, I was not going to be alone. Annoying the little beast was a bonus.

What was supposed to be a simple journey from New Bark Town to Catallia City has turned out to be anything _but_ simple. For a week now I had been wondering about this insane forest, slowly running low on supplies. A few more days and I would be out of food and water. From there I could only hope I would either find my way out or be able to find my own food and water source. The only reason I had been able to last this long was because of the survival training I had signed up for at school on a whim with my friends. Never before had I been so grateful for it. I had been using everything I was taught in those four short months of training. Some things came back the hard way compared to others.

I also now understood why anyone wanting to become a Pokemon trainer had to first take a mandatory of three months survival training before given their Trainer License. It was just my luck that those four months of training I took as an elective class could and were being counted as my needed three months. My parent's full support of the class now made sense as well, a thought which made me snap the thin branch that I had been pushing out of my way.

Glaring at the offending branch as if it were at fault for my problems, I roughly threw it to my side with a scowl. The pained cry which followed made me pause, blinking out of my sudden surge of anger. Turning my head to where the noise came from, also in which the direction I had thrown the tree branch, I was met with the sight of an aggravated purple looking Pokemon, its narrowed red eyes looking up at me as it rubbed at its wounded forehead with its paw. The branch lay beside it, the end having hit the small Rattata.

The Rattata hissed at me in both anger and pain. Getting back down on all fours, the purple Pokemon arched its back, bearing its sharp teeth at me.

I would have been worried about it attacking me if not for the fact it barely came up past my ankle. It was obvious it was a baby still, most likely newly hatched from its egg. I briefly wondered where its family was, and then my brain kicked in and informed me that Rattata young only stayed around their parents for the first few days after being hatched before leaving to be on their own. I blinked at my own memory. Looked like all that cramming that I had been forced into was actually paying off; who knew.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a sudden pain on my ankle. Gasping, I stumbled back, wildly shaking my pained foot out of pure instinct. Gripping one of the many forest trees for support, I looked down at my ankle, hoping to find the cause of my sudden pain. My brain shut downed in shock for a total of two seconds at the sight of the Rattata attached to my ankle, its sharp teeth biting though my pants.

Then, I started screaming.

Not in pain as one would think, oh no, but in anger. I let all out my accumulated frustrations over this past week out, using the Pokemon currently attached to my ankle as an outlet of sorts. I guess screeching would be a better word for what I did, then, to be honest.

I shrieked and shook my foot as hard as I could without the fear of falling down; the tree I clung to greatly helped in my balancing act. Off to the side I caught a glimpse of my supposed Pokemon lying on its side, laughing much too hard to sit upright. The traitor.

Finally, _finally_, I managed to shake the damn Rattata off, the purple Pokemon releasing my ankle and hitting its back against another tree. I spared a moment to look at my ankle to check the damage, my breathing heavy. Blood spilled out of my torn wound, covering both the hem of my pants and soaking into my sock and shoe. I grimaced at both the throbbing pain in my ankle -no doubt it would leave a scar- and the thought of having the impossible task of removing the blood.

Glaring at the Rattata for all I was worth, I silently dared it to get back up from where I continued to lean against the tree. I did not exactly want to move, worried about my ankle and blood loss. It hadn't been smart of me to shake the little beast off; all it had done was make the wound worse on my part. When the Rattata opened its red eye to send me a weak glower of its own as it began getting up, I gritted my teeth. There was no helping it at this point if I did not want a matching bite on my other ankle.

"Nidoran," I said, my tone harsh.

My Pokemon stopped its laughter like sounds, sending me a cautious, questioning look from where it lay on its side.

"Peck," I finally bit out, my gaze on the now standing Rattata.

Nidoran gave me a hard look of its own, not at all please with being ordered around, but stood. After eyeing the hissing Rattata, who was focused solely on me, charged. With its head tilted downward low enough for its horn to be facing the now aware Rattata, my Nidoran rammed into the surprised Rattata's side. Not exactly the traditional 'Peck', but I was not about to complain.

The force of the impact sent the small Rattata skidding a ways away, its side bleeding from where Nidoran had hit. The Rattata let out a pitiful whimper, curling in around itself, eyes squeezed shut in pain. My mind supplied the theory of it being poisoned from Nidoran's horn, one of my Pokémon's ability being Poison Point.

Nidoran, on the other hand, made a snorting sound, its head held high as it stared down the wounded Rattata. When the wild Pokemon made no move to stand, Nidoran turned away from the fallen Pokemon, it no longer considered a threat.

A flare of guilt hit me as I looked over the whimpering Pokemon, leaving me surprised. By all means I should of been feeling just as smug as my Nidoran. After all, the little beast lay at my feet, defeated, after injuring me. Instead, though, all I felt was shame which surpassed any sense of self-satisfaction.

When later asked why I had captured the baby Rattata, I would only be able to answer with the fact that it was just that; a baby. Leaving it not only injured, but poisoned, I might as well have been leaving it for dead. And no matter how much I hated Pokemon, I could never knowingly let one die right in front of me.

Damn conscience.


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:**_7/15/12

_Chapter Three_

I fell back on my temporary bed, a pleased sigh escaping past my lips. I had finally made it out of the woods, a great accomplishment on my part no matter my survival training. Making a mental note to purchase a proper compass (my cheap father having given me the least expensive one he could find, only for it to break after a few days use) I allowed myself this brief moment of relaxation.

Kicking off my shoes, not caring where they landed for the moment, I went over the past few days within my head.

After catching the wounded and poisoned Rattata and wrapping my injured ankle, I managed to use my parent's technique of bribery on Nidoran. With the promise of buying it those berry's it loved so much in exchange of getting me out of the forest and to Catallia City, my Pokemon had been all too eager to help.

I blamed my mother for my Pokémon's addiction to Mago Berries. She just had to go and give it some after catching it for me, resulting in my Starter becoming obsessed with them. If they were common berries then it would have been no big deal, but that would be asking too much. The berries in question did not naturally grow here, which in turn meant they have to be imported. The end result left them being outrageously expensive.

(I ended up charging the bill to my parent's credit card; see how they like those berries now. Petty, maybe, but at that point I wanted some form of revenge. And, well, I really did not want to pay for them myself.)

Two days later, we hit civilization much to my delight. My first stop was the hospital meant for humans. I had already let out and healed Rattata it of its poison and wound so I did not have to worry about it for the moment.

After getting my ankle properly cared for (it was going to leave behind a scar, the doctor had said) I stopped by the Poke Mart to buy not only Nidoran's promised berries, but to pick up some other much needed items I had been running dangerously low on. Once I had Nidoran given a few Mago berries, the rest of the small bagful backed away to be used in the future as bribery means, I returned the little beast and made my way towards the super market which sold supplies meant for humans, food included.

And man was I hungry for food other than berries.

Properly stocked up, I made my way over to the Pokemon Center at a slow pace, my ankle sore and throbbing. There, after dropping off my two Pokemon to be healed, I was offered a free room which I had greedily accepted, having forgotten Pokemon Trainers received not only free meals at Pokemon Centers, but free rooms as well.

Therefore my current position.

Stretched out, I hummed lightly to myself. One never realized how much they are use to the comfort of their bed until having to rough it for a little over a week on the hard forest floor. Which reminded me; I desperately needed both a shower and a way to clean my clothes. I could only imagine how I must look after going a week without either, not having had the courage to look in a mirror.

It was a very…unpleasant thought.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I picked up my Pokemon the next morning after eating my fill of the Center's offered breakfast. Much too my pleasant surprise, I did not have to worry about feeding my little monsters as the nurse had kindly done so for me.

With a promise to return come nightfall, I headed out with my bag hanging off one shoulder and Pokeballs secured on my belt. I marched forward with purpose, mind resolved.

With the time presented to me last night, I allowed myself to really think about my situation. I had laid the facts before me, along with my options. They were unhappily few in number. When it came down to it, I had two choices and I knew it.

One, I could be the stubborn person I am and refuse to continue any further. I could release my two Pokemon and return home to finish schooling, forfeiting my IPod and DS in the process.

Two, I could be the prideful person I am and refuse to back down from the challenge presented to me. I would show my parents I was good enough to earn their silly Badges, earning back my two stolen items and earning more along the way.

Would I follow my pride? Or give into my stubborn nature? Both had their pros and cons, my emotions mixed on which to pick. I was torn to the point where I just wanted to be done with it all, so I resorted to a means in deciding as quickly and efficiently as possible. A way I trusted my future to, knowing it would give me the answer I needed.

I flipped a coin. Pride won. My stubbornness shifted. All was calm within my feuding mind with my new goal handed to me as I looked down on the shiny coin.

Hence my determined step. As much as I hated Pokemon, I would need mine to be as strong as I could get them if I wanted any hope in succeeding. One did not win eight Gym Badges with low leveled, unevolved, Pokemon. No, they were won with skilled, healthy, and well rounded Pokemon. As such, when it came to my Pokemon, I would force myself to push aside my resentment and replace it with indifference. It would be foolish for one to expect me to declare my love for them, treating them as precious family. But it would be just as foolish to not treat them with a certain level of care. Starting from here on, I would train them every possible moment. I would catch whichever Pokemon I came across who would be a valued member to my team. I would be the damn best Trainer I could.

While I might detestation Pokemon and found willing Pokemon Trainers to be imbeciles who liked playing ding-dong-ditch at Death's door, I had enough common sense to realize these things, something I found most Pokemon Trainer's lacking.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I spent the first two hours of the days wondering around the outskirts of the small city, watching how other, more experienced, Trainer's went about schooling their teams of Pokemon. There weren't many of them, most being much like myself and new to the title. I ignored them for the most part; they, also like me, had no idea on how to properly train their Pokemon. Unlike me, however, they were trying to anyways, only to come up with little to no results. I _had_ stopped to watch as one young boy threw a temper tantrum when his Weedle refused to listen to his command, finding the whole scene amusing. Even Nidoran, who I had let out earlier on to watch the different training methods, snorted at the scene.

By the end of two hours, I felt I had at least a basic understanding on the first steps in training my Pokemon. If nothing else, the other inexperienced Trainers showed me what _not_ to do, one such thing being to go out and challenge anything that dared to move while in their line of sight. All it ended up doing was exhausting one's Pokemon faster, as well as getting it unnecessary wounds.

No, what I found to be the best method so far was to train up a Pokémon's base stats, working on such items as their speed, agility, strength, stamina, defense, and power. From there, it would be to work on the Pokémon's moves. It not only kept the Pokemon from getting unnecessary wounds which would take time to heal, but saved a Trainer the embarrassment of losing.

This was an example of where I showed my common sense compared to those younger than me yet shared my title. Why they felt the need to battle their ill prepared Pokemon against another's was beyond me. What made it worse was the fact they seemed to prefer challenge the older, more experienced Trainer's instead of other beginners. Those battles had been equal parts amusing and frustrating to watch.

I slipped away from the area where most of the Trainers gathered around, now looking for a place of my own to begin preparing my Pokemon. A ten minutes walk later, I found my new training ground. Letting out my Rattata beside Nidoran, I looked over my surroundings. Since we were still close to the city, there were not as many trees or clustered together, making it difficult to walk in a straight line. There were a few varying sizes of rocks spread out throughout the area, as well as a fallen tree a ways off to the side.

Nodding to myself in satisfaction, I took a deep breath of the clean air and began my Pokémon's first work out.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:**_7/23/12

_Chapter Four_

The sun had some time ago, the moon takings its place as the stars replaced the clouds. I sat on top of the largest rock in the clearing, my ankle throbbing from having stood on it most of the day. A little ways away Nidoran and Rattata laid, resting from their workout. My Rattata was passed out in exhaustion, Nidoran not far behind from the looks of it.

The training had started out slow at first, my Pokemon getting use to me telling them what to do and me getting use to ordering them, until we all got more and more into it as the day passed.

While I could only guess at the fact, I got the feelings Nidoran understood my change in feelings to an extent. It had given me a hard stare when, for the first time since owning it, I had showed a real interest in it's training. Whatever it saw right then seemed to have pleased it, as it went along with my given commands with relative ease. When it came down to it, we had the same goal. I wanted strong Pokemon, and Nidoran wanted to become strong.

Rattata had been different from Nidoran in the way it had submissively accepted it position on my team after I had told it ever so bluntly that without me, it would have either died of poison or been eaten in its weakened state. It was well known for Rattatas to be favored meals for some Pokemon.

The fact Nidoran and I had been the one to blame for its then state had been left unmentioned.

I had pushed my two Pokemon as hard as I dared, keeping in mind their low levels, Rattata even being a baby, how they would tire easily. I let them have short breaks throughout the day, stopping for both a quick lunch and dinner. My pushing and guidance produced results, however slight, which left me satisfied. It had been a wise move on my part to first watch the other Trainers with their Pokemon.

We had spent the day doing various exercises, ranging from light runs around the area to build up speed and stamina, dodging thrown pebbles and later slightly larger rocks for agility, and pushing against some of the heavier rocks for strength. I had not quite figured out how to work on their defense yet, something which irked me to no end. No doubt it would be chewing at the back of my mind for a while, until I was able to figure something out.

Moves wise, Nidoran learned Focus Energy and the beginning of Double Kick. Rattata not only learned Quick Attack, but had the beginnings of Focus Energy down as well after watching Nidoran try out its new move. While not able to perform the move just yet, it was getting there. I liked to think another day of intense training would unlock the move for my youngest Pokemon.

For the last few hours of the day, we had been going over their other known moves, hoping to improve their power or affect. This was also how I found out my Rattata knew the move Bite, an attack most Rattata don't know right off the bat despite the size of their teeth. It _did_ explain, though, why the little beast was able to mess up my ankle as bad as it had.

Despite myself, I felt smug knowing my Rattata knew such a move so early in its stage of life. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was still something.

At present we were done for the day, all of us exhausted in our own ways. I wanted nothing more than to get back to the Pokemon Center, shower, and sleep for the rest of the night and into the early morning, my ankle killing me.

Reaching for Rattata's Pokeball, I returned the sleeping Pokemon without bothering to wake it. I was about to do the same with Nidoran until I heard a low, ominous hoot high up above me. Blinking my tired eyes and thinking I was now beginning to hear things in my sleep muddled mind, I shrugged and enlarged Nidoran's Pokeball.

"Nidoran, time to retu-" I was cut off by an angry screech of a hoot and an object rushing past my head, only to slam into my now standing Nidoran. I watched in shock, jaw-dropped, as Nidoran skidded back a good few feet, grunting in slight pain. The blob which flew into it was now flying a few feet off the ground, its glowing red eyes staring down my Nidoran.

I blinked repeatedly, mouth still hanging open in my surprise and taken aback by the sudden attack on my Nidoran by another Pokemon. My brain then decided to kick in and informed me that said Pokemon was in fact a Hoothoot, a common Pokemon in these parts. Snapping out of my surprised daze, I went into defense mode.

"Nidoran, Leer then Focus Energy," I commanded calmly, eyeing the flying Pokemon. If I remembered correctly, Hoothoot learn the move Hypnosis at a young age, and this Hoothoot looked more than old enough to know said move. The last thing I needed was my Pokemon forced into a sleep, this battle going to be hard enough as it was with Nidoran tired out from its workout.

'_Well,'_ I thought with a bitter grin, _'looks like I get to see if all that training today meant anything.'_

Nidoran meanwhile glared up at the Hoothoot with its own glowing red eyes, pulling its lips back to show off its sharp teeth. When the Hoothoot flapped back in a moment of uncertainty, Nidoran moved onto using its new move, Focus Energy.

Now all that was left was to wait for the Hoothoot to make its move, Nidoran needing the other Pokemon to come down to its reach in order to attack.

As I hoped, the Hoothoot began to descend down to perform another Tackle. Smirking, I barked out a command which Nidoran reacted to instantly, thankful the Hoothoot didn't simply use Hypnosis.

"Peck."

The Hoothoot collided head, well, chest on with Nidoran's poisoned horn much to my glee.

Letting out a pained sound, the Hoothoot tried desperately to raise again back into the air, its chest bleeding from where it had made contact with Nidoran's horn. Once again, as I hoped it would, the attack seemed to have left the other Pokemon poisoned. With only a few more frantic flaps of its wings, the Hoothoot fell onto the forest floor, a few feet in front of my Nidoran. Nidoran flashed it another look at its sharp teeth, a smug look in its eye much like the one it had when beating Rattata. The Hoothoot glared weakly in return which soon turned into the move Hypnosis. Nidoran didn't stand a chance, my Pokemon dropping like a rock with a surprised look on its face.

Sighing, I reached over for my bag. Zipping open one of the front pockets, I reached in and pulled out a red and white Pokeball. With a roll of my eyes, I enlarged the empty Pokeball, threw it at the downed Pokemon, watched with disinterested eyes as it clicked shut, and got up to retrieve it.

"Halfway to a full team," I mumbled to myself, picking up my newest Pokémon's Pokeball. Shrinking it and placing it on an empty spot on my belt, I looked over the sleeping Nidoran and returned it as well with a shake of my head.

Such a _fun_ night.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_**Edited:10-24-12**_

_Chapter Five_

The next few days were spent much like my first after the acknowledgment of my new goal; training from when I woke to a little after the sun had set.

Rattata had not been pleased with the new addition to the team, it being no secret a Hoothoot's preferred prey were Rattatas. To keep fights from braking out, I kept the two Pokemon on opposite sides of the area I have taken to calling my training ground.

Nidoran, after getting over that fact he had technically lost to the Hoothoot, found it entertaining to watch the interaction between Rattata and Hoothoot, the flying-type making it a game to chase after Rattata, as if Hoothoot was hunting it.

It didn't help matters when the second night of training with the Hoothoot, it came back from hunting for its dinner with an end tail of another Rattata hanging out of the side of its beak, only to throw its head back and swallow that bit as well. I had been hard pressed not to gag and throw up my own dinner at the sight, never mind how Rattata reacted. I really had not needed to see that.

Rattata refused to be within ten feet of the Hoothoot after its dinner performance. It took to hiding behind me whenever Hoothoot got to close for its liking.

It had taken forever for Nidoran to stop laughing.

I had made a mental note not to go after that Ekans I had seen, not wanting to have to deal with the consequences of what might follow since flying-types were just as know to prey on young Ekans. The last thing I needed or wanted were two Pokemon taking refuge behind me whenever Hoothoot decided to play a round of Predator and Prey.

Along with having to deal with the inter-dynamics of my team, we had our first Trainer battle, having been challenged by a girl only a couple years younger than me. I had been on my way to 'my' training ground when she had called out to me, asking if I would be willing to help her train by battling her newly caught Pokemon.

I glanced down at her belt to find she had a full team, so I was a little hesitant. I was a good six years behind my age group after all, never mind those younger than me. While my Pokemon had been making progress, I doubted they could beat a girl who may have been training Pokemon since legally allowed given the worn and not-so-shiny Pokeballs resting around her narrow hips.

It was her use of the words 'newly caught', however, that caught my attention and gave me some of my confidence back. The Pokemon in the surrounding area were not particularly strong compared to even my briefly trained Pokemon. Just two days ago I had taken to battling against them for the real-life experience of a Pokemon battle, and even though we had been at it for so little time, I found my Pokemon improving with each victory.

It was doing wonders for Rattata's ego, an extra plus, although it was nowhere near as big as either Nidoran's or Hoothoot's.

I nodded my head once as I fingered the Pokeballs on my belt, silently going over the pros and cons of each. Since this _was_ my first Trainer battle, I wanted to win damn it.

She led me out of the public's eye, something I was grateful for. On the outskirts of the city, she grabbed one of her six Pokeballs and called out her chosen Pokemon. I waited with no small amount of apprehensive to see what she had called out, only to release the breath I had been holding at the sight of a green, spider like Pokemon.

I could do this, I could beat her Spinarak. No problem. I had beaten some of the wild ones in the area, after all, and if this Spinarak was as newly caught as the younger girl said, it should be an easy battle.

Foot, meet mouth.

With my shoulders no longer tense and my stomach loosening its knots just enough for me to not feel nauseas, I pulled off a Pokeball from my belt and clicked the button to open it instead of throwing it like the girl had done.

Hoothoot gave a long trill as it flapped its wings to keep in the air, excited to be in a Pokemon battle against another Trainer.

The battle started slow, each of us getting use to how the other battled. From previous battles against Spinarak's, I knew having Hoothoot use its move Hypnosis would be useless, one of Spinarak's special abilities being Insomnia, much like Hoothoot's. I mainly had Hoothoot use Growl and Peck, an attack it had learned a few days back. While different from Nidoran's Peck, it was still a flying-type move and as such, much more effective against the Spinarak than any of its known moves.

The other girl (neither of us asked for the name of the other) had her Spinarak stick with String Shot and Poison Sting. The second attach intrigued, Nidoran in the process of learning it. Watching it in action, I made a mental note to have Nidoran work harder on learning the move. It looked damn useful, even more so when I would be the one ordering it.

The battle went on for close to ten minutes, give or take a minute. Neither of our Pokemon was willing to give into the other once we started actively using more offensive moves than defensive. Around the seven minute mark Hoothoot had been hit by one of Spinarak's Poison Sting's on the left wing. On the other side of the spectrum Spinarak's back was covered in bloody gashes and holes, places where Hoothoot had managed to land it's Peck. Littering the floor and hanging from the tree's branches were sticky strings of web, missed String Shot's. It was quite a sight, really. In my personal point of view, it looked like a giant spider web gone wrong.

With both Pokemon drained of energy and wounded, it came down to them each using their selective moves one more time to determine the winner; Spinarak's Poison Sting and Hoothoot's Peck. Hoothoot had been unable to dodge the Poison Sting, its underbelly getting grazed by a few despite its best effort. With a desperate cry Hoothoot fell out of the sky, no longer able to keep it's wings moving. In a last ditch effort of winning, my Pokemon used the Spinarak as a cushion, landing on the other Pokemon beak first. Both Pokemon let out a cry at the move, Hoothoot rolling away from the dazed Spinarak where it proceeded to force itself to stand, it's injured and poisoned wing limp while the other wing flapped franticly to help it to stand.

The Spinarak was not as fortunate as my Pokemon. It took a few staggering steps backwards before falling onto its side, making no move to get back on its legs. Knocked out, then. At least I hoped it was just a knock out. Letting my Pokemon kill another Trainer's Pokemon would not be the greatest outcome, especially for my first Trainer battle.

Hoothoot managed to let out a victory trill before collapsing itself into a faint. It made me release a shaky breath, my palms sweaty against Hoothoot's Pokeball. Doing my best to cover up my nerves with a false sense of calm and smugness, I sent my fainted Pokemon an amused look before I recalled it. As if having to deal with Nidoran's smugness and pride was not enough, I would have to add Hoothoot to the list.

The girl thanked me for the battle and gave me some prize money for technically before we went our separate ways. When I was sure she was gone, I let a silly grin creep onto my face, any thoughts of causing permanent or critical damage to the girl's Spinarak being pushed to the back of my mind. I would not see her again, so worrying would do me no go; instead I focused on what just happened.

I had not only survived my first battle against another Trainer, but had _won_. And here people said being a Trainer was hard.

Come the morning of the eighth day of arriving in Catallia City, I had been told by Nurse Joy I could no longer use my room; the limit a Trainer can have a room for free being a week. I was welcomed, though, to keep it if I started paying money.

I had given back the room key as soon as I had all my things. Back on the road I went.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	7. Chapter Six

_**Edited: 10-24-12**_

_Chapter Six_

After a week of staying in a Pokemon Center, it was easy to forget how terrible sleeping outdoors is. At least this time around I had a Hoothoot. I let the Pokemon out of its Pokeball as soon as I get ready for bed with orders to keep any wild Pokemon away. I had no wish to wake up with some Weedle sleeping next to me again. Now _that_ had been a rude awakening.

Hoothoot was only too happy to agree, seeing it as a chance to not only get in some extra training, but hunt down it's choice of prey instead of the generic food I offered. As I had told it after the wild Rattata incident (which my Rattata still has not gotten over), I did not want to know what it was eating so it waiting until I was asleep to eat was more than fine with me. Even if I did not see what it ate, I was left with the strong suspicion of Hoothoot having grown a certain liking for Spinarak compared to it's previous preference of Rattatas from the way it would eye the wild ones I had it battle against. I blamed it's battle against the nameless Trainer's Spinarak.

After dinner of the not so bloody kind Hoothoot fly up and landed upon one of the branches hanging above me. As an extra caution I kept out Nidoran while returning Rattata, giving the same instructions to it as I did Hoothoot. Let a Weedle try and sleep next to me now.

With the fire I had started to cook my food out, the embers smothered under surrounding dirt, I snuggled into my sleeping bag and curled into a ball. Movement at the end of my sleeping bag had me open one eye, my heart rate climbing just enough to quicken my breath a hair. The sight of Nidoran settling into a comfortable position had me release a breath and send a frown it's way. The Pokemon glared right back, daring me to say anything. My glare changed into a flat look, an eyebrow raised. Nidoran gave a sniff and turned it's head away from me, making one last circle before laying down, it's back to me. I shook my head as much as possible, but otherwise stayed silent. I was making it stay out to keep other Pokemon away from my campsite, so I could let it lay at the end of my sleeping bag; not like I ever use the bottom half, anyways.

Closing my eye again, I willed myself asleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I woke with a start, my body giving a jerk as the feeling of panic started to brew in my chest.

Blinking my groggy eyes, I looked around my surrounding, trying to find the source that brought me back to the land of the conscious. The fact it was still dark out added to my growing panic and confusion, it taking me a moment longer then I am proud to admit to remember just where I was. Pushing myself up into a sitting position, slow enough to make as little noise as possible, I made the slow reach for my bag, aiming for the high power flashlight to help in my search.

Just as my fingers brushed my bag's clasp, I heard it. It was a high pitched squeal that just screamed pain. Fully awake now, my heart raced as adrenaline began to pump through my veins. My hands shook as I fought with my bag, now desperate to reach my flashlight as the scream continued. Any concern on being quite flew out the window, not caring at the noise I made when I tipped over my bag. The bright yellow plastic was easy to spot even in the poor lighting, it in my hands and on in a heartbeat.

A movement at the end of my sleeping bag made me jump and give a silent cry as I aimed the shaking beam of light at whatever moved, but the sight of Nidoran had my trembling fade just enough for me to catch the annoyed look on my Pokémon's face. With a snort it gave me one final glower before ignoring both me the squealing filled the air. It's lack of caring had some of the panic part to the side to let my rational mind make its way back in front and center.

My mind then started to work against me once again as the pain filled noise began to soften. It was as if the one making the noise was running out of the energy needed to produce them. I felt my panic begin to rise again against my will as images of gruesome acts filled my inner eye, the possibilities countless for what was happening. My breathing was coming out in quick burst as I crawled closer to Nidoran, my Starter still paying no attention what was happening. I had to force myself to take a deep breath as my shaking hands pointed the beam of the flashlight up towards the trees.

With every passing second the sound continued to soften, it doing nothing to ease my fear. Earlier I would have been grateful for the noise to stop, but when it finally did with one last whimper I felt my eyes mist up. Dead. Whoever it was to be in so much pain had to have died.

And then I heard it, a sound I could have gone my entire life without hearing. It last for just a moment, but the pleased trill and coo from a Hoothoot made me squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to control my breathing. There had to be multiple Hoothoots in the area; no reason to believe it was mine to have been the cause of another Pokémon's death in such a drawn out way. Rationally there had to be more than just mine, and yet all I could think of was my Pokemon leaning over a cooling corpse marked with cuts and holes, a glint in its red eyes as it started to eat if it had not been already while the Pokemon was still in the land of the living.

I turned off my flashlight, no longer wanting search for the source of the sound. I did not look at Nidoran as I scooted back on my sleeping bag, tucking myself back into it once I was able. Resting the flashlight next to me and not giving a damn about the rest of the contents from my bag still lying scattered a little ways to the side, I curled into a tight ball with the edge of the blanket up to my chin.

There would be no more sleep for me tonight.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Palm Hills was, in lack of better, _gigantic_.

It really was a place for the filthy rich, anyone of the mansions capable of swallowing my parent's house and not even be a fifth full. To even be walking through the rows of mansions was intimidating, and I had never been so self conscious as I was right then. Having been on the road for the past few nights, I know that I was not exactly clean. My brown hair was beyond greasy, my plain blue jean pants ends covered in mud and grass stains, the bottom hem of my left pant leg still stained with my blood from my first run in with Rattata. My deep green long sleeve shirt was wrinkled and covered in dirt, the grass stains hidden by the color of my shirt. Even my bag was grubby, the bottom crusted over with dried mud.

All in all, I'm not a pretty sight. Another strike was added against my parents.

A car, no, scratch that, a _limo_, slowly drove past me. I keep my head down, my greasy hair sliding forward to block the side of my face from view. I wanted as few people to see me like this as possible, but the matter could not be helped when the limo stopped its slow crawl a few feet ahead of me.

"You there, _girl_," a elderly woman's voice called out, causing me freeze. My right eye twitched at the way she called me out. The name itself would not have bothered me, but the tone in which it was said raised my hackles. It was the tone a person would use when addressing someone so inferior to them you should be lucky you are even being looked at.

Controlling my twitching eye and annoyance, I looked over to the limo; the back window was rolled down part of the way so I could only see the eyes and hair of the woman who spoke. Her eyes were a steel black, her hair dark brown with silver strips running through it along the sides. I did not need to see the rest of her to know she would scream filthy rich and no doubt snobby, one of her shirts costing more than my entire wardrobe.

Putting on my best fake smile, which was pretty damn good thanks to years of dealing with idiots and idiots who thought they were the best thing since the creation of the Pokeball, I answered with a pleasant, "Yes, Ma'am?" I ran my fingertips through my fallen hair, pushing it back behind my ear and wishing more than ever it was at least clean. The woman watched my hand as it moved, a disgusted look in her steel eyes. The desire to snarl at her and show her just how polite I could really be was immense, but I forced myself to continue the act. The rich do have their uses and it would be best to not anger them when they might be beneficial.

"Do you happen to be a Pokemon Trainer by any chance?" She asked, but her words were forced out as if she knew I was but did not want me to be all at the same time.

I nodded my head, but vocally spoke my answer as well. "Yes, Ma'am."

Her eyes narrowed and it took a few seconds for her to speak again. "Are your services for sale?" Once again, her words were forced, but this time they made me blink in surprise. My services? Pokemon Trainer's had services to the public? Since when was this and why have I not heard of it before?

Deciding to play along, I gave her a thoughtful look. What would be the best use of words for someone like her? I ran different lines through my mind before settling on the one which sounded the best. "What would you ask of me, Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking?"

The elderly woman gave a sigh and I swear I heard her say something along the lines of 'At least this one had manners' before answering.

"You would need to catch a Pokemon for me that's living in the back of my manor. It's to be a birthday present for my grandson. I would be willing to pay you, of course. Until you manage to catch it, I would also provide room and board, along with the use of a guest shower and laundry room." Her words were less forced this time around, but by the end of her last sentence she was once again eyeing my hair and dirty clothes.

My mind was spinning. This woman wanted me to catch the Pokemon living in her manor's backyard, and not only was she willing to pay, but she was also willing to give me a room and food! Again, much like at the Pokemon Center, I wanted to greedily accept, but my rational part of my brain kicked in.

With a deep breath, I raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. "Very well, but before I accept, might I ask the time length I have to catch this Pokemon, which species the Pokemon is, and what exactly my pay will be?" I asked as formally as I could, my tone pleasant.

The woman's eyes seemed to sparkle as she offered me an off-handed complainant. "Smart, girl. _Very_ smart." My once small smile widened, my eyes crinkling in satisfaction. "You would have three days to complete the task, starting today. As for the Pokemon itself, it is an Elekid." Here she looked away from me with narrowed eyes. "Why he wants _that_ one I will never know, especially when one can simple be ordered." She sounded annoyed, but in an instant her attention was back on me with all signs of exasperation gone. "As for the pay, you would receive a small bag full of Ultra Balls, as well as the opportunity to catch whichever Pokemon you may wish from the back of my manor for yourself afterwards."

I gave a pleased grin, my mind racing. Ultra Balls were just that, _ultra_. Being the most expensive type of Pokeball out on the market, they were heavily sought after when offered up as a prize. A Trainer was lucky to be to buy one or twoduring their journey unless they came for a rich background. While I might not have wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer, I knew being offered even a _small_ bag full of Ultra Balls was not something I'd likely come across again. Add in the opportunity to catch any Pokemon I wanted from her backyard and this was an amazing deal. There was but one answer.

"You have yourself a deal, Ma'am." Both our eyes glinted.

The rich have their uses indeed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	8. Chapter Seven

_**Edited: 12-15-12**_

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own 'Pokemon' beside for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seven_

I stepped out the backdoor to Mrs. Evans Manor a few hours after agreeing to Mrs. Evan's proposal; clothes and body clean once again. Even my bag was cleaned and the blood stain on my pants was gone, much to my pleasure. The maids working at the manor were nothing to scoff at.

I surveyed my surroundings, my eyebrow rising in surprise. Well, crap.

"Now I can see why I have three days," I said to myself, there no one around to judge the action. The so called backyard was _huge_. Leave it to the rich to think of multiple acres of land as 'small'.

In my hand was a picture of the Pokemon I was supposed to catch, my bag replaced with one given to me by a butler, it filled with a wide assortment of Pokeballs and healing supplies. Looking through them now, I was not surprised to find twenty of every Pokeball out on the market and medicine ranging from simple Potions to Full Restores. If they were so determined to have this Electric-Type caught, the question on why they asked me, a random stranger off the street, to go out and catch it. One would think with their amount of money, they could hire a professional to catch it for them.

Well, I guess I shouldn't really complain with what I was getting out of it. So instead of thinking about the sanity of the rich elderly, I headed out. I would need every possible second to find one Pokemon out of the many no doubt living on the land.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Three hours. I had been looking for _three freaking hours,_ yet nothing. While I had come across a few other Pokemon, there was no Elekid. What was worse, I was pretty sure I got lost in this jungle Mrs. Evans called 'the garden'.

I really hoped this would not become a habit of mine, getting lost every time I entered a forest-like place. Not even walking in one direction was doing me no good.

Stopping to lean against a tree, I sighed and rubbed my eyes. The afternoon was coming to an end, night fast approaching. It I did not find my way out soon, the chances of me escaping with no light was little to none. The thought of having to sleep on the cold ground when there was a top of the line bed waiting for me had me pushing off against the tree, a new determination lit inside me. Like hell I was going to sleep outside tonight, even if it meant relying on a Pokemon I would rather pretend I did not own.

I pulled off Hoothoot's Pokeball with a grimace, having to force my finger to enlarge and then release the Pokemon. It was hard to look at it with the memory of waking to hear a Hoothoot catching and eating another Pokemon so fresh in my mind. Even though logic told me the chances of it being my Hoothoot were as equal to it being a wild one, getting myself to believe it was the hard part.

Hoothoot giving a trill had me reluctantly turning to face it. I took a step back at finding Hoothoot so close to my face, it's large eyes watching me with it's head like body tilted just enough o the side to show curiosity. With a clear of my throat, I reached into my pocket to find the picture of the Elekid. The fact I was staling in talking to my own Pokemon had me frown. This would not due, not at all. Licking my lips I looked back at me Pokemon, picture in hand.

"Two things, Hoothoot. First, I need you to get me out of this forest and back to the closest house. Also, I want you to keep an eye out for this Pokemon," I held up the picture. Hoothoot gave another trill, it's head tilting to the opposite side as it's eyes moved from me to the photo. When it's gaze was back on me I tucked the image back into my pocket. Having nothing more to say to the Pokemon I waved it off, Hoothoot giving a cluck of it's tongue before flying upwards.

I watched as it flew in a circle a few times through the breaks in the foliage, Hoothoot just high up enough for me to lose sight of every few seconds. Trying to track it would be a challenge, but it was better than continuing to wonder with no goal in sight. When my Pokemon gave a loud cry, I struggled to focus in on it as it started to fly in the opposite direction I had been heading.

Of _course_. Rubbing my temples, I began the tedious task of following after my Pokemon.

-.-.-.-.-.-

It took an hour before I saw the mansion again, the walk back a slow one. On multiple occasions I had to call out for Hoothoot to come back to me, having lost sight of it through a particular thick clump of trees. My relief was immense; just a sliver of the sun was left in the sky, the air cooling by the minute. Hoothoot landed beside me, it's chest feathers puffed out with it's beak in the air. I raised an eyebrow at my Pokémon's behavior, but did not offer a comment. Instead I readjusted the borrowed pack, my shoulders sore.

"Were you able to spot the Pokemon," I asked it as I moved towards the back door, leaving Hoothoot to hop behind me, still trying to look as regal as ever. Watching it out of the corner of my eye had me hiding a smile at the comical sight.

After Hoothoot gave a long, song-like trill, one I as a yes, I returned it with a nod of thanks. I sighed part in relief and part in dismay. While I now knew the Elekid was somewhere in there for sure, trying to find it within the time limit was going to be a real pain. If I went about it like I did today, the chances of me finding it was so low I wanted to tug at my hair with nerves. I did not want to find out how Mrs. Evans would take my failure.

This would require drastic measures.

The walk to my assigned room was short, it being on the first floor. Entering, I blinked in surprise at the sight of clothes lying on the bed. I hesitated in the doorway, suddenly not sure if I went into the right room. I took a step back and look on either side of the door, my brows furrowed. Unless the house was in the habit of moving around the paintings, as there was no way I could ever forget the ugly piece hanging between my door and another, this was my room.

I looked back into the room, lips twisted in a frown. After another moment of hesitation I shrugged my shoulders and walked in, making sure to leave the door open in case a maid or butler walked by and demanded to know why I was in fact in a room not mine. As I made my way towards the bed I looked for my bag, only to find it just where I had left it by the door leading to the private bathroom. If my bag was here, then this had to be my room; the question on why there were clothes not mine laid out on the bed remained.

Stopping next to them, I dropped the borrowed bag by my feet and bent over the articles of clothing to better inspect them. There were nice, and if I remembered what little I knew of fashion, the brand was far from cheap. Lifting up the dark blue tee-shirt, interweaving strands of black on the side reaching from the hem to the collar to make up an interesting design, my eyes fell to the folded piece of paper lying on my pillow. Gently placing the shirt back down on the bed, doing my best to not wrinkle it I picked up and opened the note, hoping for answers.

_Sandra,_

_Here is a real Trainer's outfit for you. Think of it as a tip of sorts. If the measurements are incorrect, please alert one of the maids. _

_Mrs. Evans_

I stared at the message blankly, not sure whether to be grateful or insulted she thought I needed a new outfit. I knew my initial impression was not the best, but to go out and buy me mew clothes because of it?

I sighed and shook my head, tossing the note onto the bedside table. It would be rude to refuse such a gesture, and I was in no real position to turn down free items. Mind made up I turned my attention back to the rest of the items lying on my temporary bed. Besides the blue shirt there were two pairs of pants, an additional shirt, a new belt, and a new bag.

"Sheesh, this is crazy," I muttered as I looked over each piece of clothing.

Both bottoms were cream colored and, unlike my current jeans, were cargo pants, four pockets running down each leg varying in size. The second shirt was much like the blue one, only this one in reverse colors and the pattern was on the opposite side.

I vaguely recognized my new Pokeball friendly belt as the one that had recently taken over a majority of television commercials. Try as I might, what made it so great slipped my mind, there never a real reason in the past to have paid attention to the multiple ads. Well, it was not like I would not find out soon enough. The bag was a near identical to the one given to me earlier, the only difference being it was a light blue.

I gave another shake of my head, this time with a small smile. As I went about changing out my old bag with my new one, I made a mental note to thank Mrs. Evans.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a quick 'thanks' to my two reviewers,! I really appreciate the reviews you two ^^

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eight_

On the morning of the second day, I stood back outside facing Mrs. Evan's 'garden'.

I'm wearing my new outfit, which fits perfectly, creepily enough. How Mrs. Evans was able to figure out my sizes I'll never know, so instead of wasting time thinking about it, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I'm determined to catch the Elekid today, even if I had to spend all day outside looking for it.

Reaching the edge of the 'garden', I let out my Pokemon one at a time. Nidoran and Rattata look over their new surroundings much like Hoothoot yesterday. Hoothoot on the other hand flew over to me and landed back on top of my head. The sudden weight made my head jerk forward, but I quickly straightened up. Glaring upwards, I entertained the thought of tilting my head to the side to see what would happen. Almost as if reading my mind, Hoothoot gripped tighter onto my hair, painfully so.

Tisking, I did my best to ignore the Pokemon on my head. Instead I went about giving instructions.

"Our job today is to go out and capture an Elekid." I paused to show Nidoran and Rattata the picture of said Elekid. I didn't bother showing Hoothoot since I showed the picture to it yesterday. "I'm not sure how strong this Pokemon is, so be cautious and ready for anything." Nidoran and Rattata nodded, showing they understood. Pleased, I continued. "The Pokemon is hiding somewhere within there," I pointed to the 'garden', "so be on the lookout. If you spot the Pokemon, let the rest of us know. As a reward, the one who first finds the Elekid will be given a prize." All three of them perked up at the mention of a prize, making me smirk and nod.

I looked upwards, to where Hoothoot sat. "Hoothoot, you'll be looking from the air, obviously. If you happen to see the Elekid first, get close enough to use Hypnosis on it then come find me. Keep your ears open though. If we manage to find it before you, I'll give three sharp whistles for you to come back." Hoothoot gave an excited trill, wasting no time in flying off my head and above the 'garden'. At least someone was excited about this whole ordeal.

Running my hand threw my now messy hair, I gave an annoyed huff before getting back to the task at hand.

"You two will be going with me, one on my left side and one on my right side. You'll both be ahead of me so that you have a better chance of coming across the Elekid without me there to scare it off." Nidoran got an almost bloodthirsty look in its eye, pawing at the ground in its impatience. Rattata simply sat on its back legs, watching me with a look a soldier would have when in presence of their superior officer.

Honestly, this whole situation_ was_ making me feel like a commander in the army with how I'm ordering around my Pokemon. The thought actually makes me grin.

"Nidoran, you'll be covering my right side. If you come across the Elekid, slow it down with Poison Sting then report back and lead us to it." Nidoran got into place, standing about ten feet from my right. Nodding, I moved onto Rattata's orders.

"You'll be on my left. If you come across the Elekid, do not attack it until I'm there. Instead, use your speed and find me." Rattata nodded and much like Nidoran, stood about ten feet from my left.

"One last thing before we begin; the same applies for you two as it does for Hoothoot. If you hear three sharp whistles, then come back. Either one of you three have found the Elekid, or we're regrouping for the moment. Understood?"

They both nodded. Satisfied, I began walking. Nidoran and Rattata wasted no time in bolting forward, both determined to win the prize that I had mentioned.

And so it began.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The first few hours were slow. The Elekid was just as determined to stay hidden as we all were to find it.

I watched with a deep frown as yet another wild Bellsprout cut in front of my path, a Hoppin floating along behind it while singing a tone. Well, at least _that_ part is new.

With a tired sigh, I silently prayed that one of us would find the Elekid already. There are better ways to spend the day; training, for one.

They had come a long way in terms of strength and skill, my Pokemon. I've been training them nearly every day since that day in Catallia City, and because of all the training they've been steadily getting stronger. Rattata's even been growing in size, no longer the smallest of my three Pokemon. It now rivaled Nidoran in height, whose head reached mid leg, its ears coming up past my knees. Hoothoot beat them both, though, in size. Despite myself, I feel a smug pride whenever I think about how far along we've come.

It's no secret among my Pokemon and I that I want to get the Gym Badges as soon as possible, so I need my Pokemon to be the strongest they can be. My Pokemon couldn't agree any more, above all Nidoran. For their own reasons, they all want to be strong; something that I can offer them while traveling.

Did we like one another? No. Rattata hates and fears Hoothoot and is indifferent to Nidoran while respects me; Hoothoot can care less about any of us though gets a kick out of scaring Rattata and messing up my hair; Nidoran gets a sick amusement out of watching Hoothoot go after Rattata and simply hates me; I hate them all, but force it aside and instead feel nothing but indifference with the occasional burst of pride or annoyance depending on the situation.

We're not the perfect team, far from it in terms of behavior, and I doubt it if the future members of the team will be any different. But, we're at an understanding with one another and have the same common goal; strength and power. And honestly, that's enough for me.

A flash of yellow catches my attention. A wide grin comes over my face as I spot my 'prey'. Giving three, sharp whistles just like my mother taught me (she'd be so proud); I'm so ready to battle and complete my hired 'services'.

So we're an imperfect bunch, my Pokemon and I. Who honestly aren't these days though?


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Nine_

I gave one last wave to Mrs. Evans and Alex, a polite smile on my face and a new red and white Pokeball attached to my belt, giving me a total of four Pokemon. While it was nice being able to sleep in a bed again with access to a warm shower and real food, I'm happy to be leaving.

The last few days had been interesting to say the least.

After catching the exclusive Elekid and giving it to a very pleased Mrs. Evans at the end of my second day, I had been given both a small bag of Ultra Balls (fifteen of the Pokeballs were inside the bag much to my joy) and free range of the 'garden' to catch whichever Pokemon that caught my interest.

Seeing how I already had a Flying-Type, a Normal-Type, and a Poison-Type that doubled as a Ground-Type at its final evolution, I went out looking for a Pokemon that one, I didn't already have, and two, a type that I didn't already have.

The first part hadn't been all that difficult, only having three Pokemon that are fairly common and Mrs. Evan's 'garden' being filled with the not so common Pokemon for the most part.

It was the second part that had started getting under my nerves. I really didn't want to spend another day inside the elderly woman's 'garden', so after a while _any_ Pokemon would have been good as long as it fitted inside my two expatiations.

This is why I came into the process of battling and catching a wild Poliwag.

While not the most powerful Pokemon in its first stage, I knew from experience (my mother use to own one, until it evolved into its current form, a Poliwrath) that come its next evolution, it would begin to get stronger, much stronger.

After catching the Poliwag, I had been more than ready to leave. I would have, too, if not for Mrs. Evan's grandson arriving at the manor to visit an hour before I even got back from my 'hunt' in the 'garden'.

While I might hate Pokemon, I love little kids, so how could I say no to a soon-to-be eight year old when asked to stay for his party the next day? Let me answer that for you; I couldn't. I blame the eyes. Kids always have the sweetest looking eyes that just yell 'innocence' to me.

So, I had spent yet _another_ night with the Evan's, this time around keeping Alexander ('please call me Alex') Evan entertained. It hadn't been so hard, Alex wanting to play with my Pokemon most of the time. While my Pokemon might not have enjoyed it, I sure did.

The picture of my Nidoran dressed up in short green skirt with a red ribbon tired onto its horn has quickly jumped up to my favorite picture of all time.

On the day of his actual party, I got the _lovely_ chance to meet Alex's parents. _Please_ note the sarcasm.

I have never wanted to kill someone as much as I had then. They are the reason that rich people are thought to be nothing but stuck up snobs with nothing better to do than mock the less fortunate. How such a nice and considerate boy such as Alexander could possibly be related to them I will never know.

On a positive note, once Alex found out that I had been the one to catch his new Elekid (who had slowly backed away from me, much to my amusement), he had been so happy that he'd refused to let go of my waist, much less my side, for the rest of the party. Mrs. Evan and I had shared an amused look at not only Alex's reaction, but also at her son's indigent look when he saw _his_ son hanging off a 'commoner' like myself.

We had finished off the birthday party with a Pokemon battle between me and Alex. He used his new Elekid while I had sent out my newly caught Poliwag. The two had obviously recognized each other, as my Poliwag had puffed up and said something that had been far from nice if its tone of voice was anything to go by. Elekid, in response, had let sparks dance over its fur, a nasty sneer on its face. Any fear that it had of me vanished when the two saw each other, much to my amusement.

The battle had ended in Alex's favor, though Elekid didn't walk away uninjured. Poliwag had given as good as it got, only having finally gone down first thanks to a rather powerful ThunderShock from a desperate Elekid.

Despite losing, to an eight year old no less, I had felt smug though I didn't let such smugness show. If I worked this loss _just _so, I could have a rather useful way in getting my Poliwag to become devoted to training. So, instead of becoming depressed over the loss of my first Pokemon Trainer battle, I had shook Alex's outstretched hand, offered him a wide grin, and congratulated him on his first win.

The next morning, after getting my Pokemon healed and having a little chat with Poliwag, I was off, determined now more than ever to finally reach the next town.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I stopped next to a small little pond, hungry and tired. Having been walking for close to three hours, my feet were _sore_ after not having to walk such a distance in so many days to walking for so long.

Sitting along the edge of the pond, I took off my shoes and sock, placing them to the side of me. With a content sigh, I slipped my feet into the green-tinged water, lying back on the grass. Humming quietly to myself as I soaked in the Vitamin-D provided by the sun, I planned out my next few moves.

I should reach Cherrygrove City within the next few days if I manage to stay on the trail this time around. Between now and then I would focus on training my Pokemon, mainly Poliwag as it's the weakest at the moment being new to the team. I also had to find another two Pokemon to complete my current team, and then some so I had a few different types and species to choose from when it came to a Gym Battle.

I frowned suddenly, my humming coming to a stop. At the pace I was going, it would take me forever to obtain all eight badges. At the least, I was looking at a year's worth of travel.

_That_ thought made me grimace. I really didn't want to be out training Pokemon for a _year_. It's a year that I could be using to do other things, like getting an actual _job_.

For what seems like the thousandth time, I cursed my father and mother for messing with my life.

Sitting back up, I grumble a list of not-so-nice curses aimed at my parents as I slip my feet out of the cooling water and dry them off with a small hand-towel from my bag. Placing back on my socks and shoes, I stood and continued on my way towards Cherrygrove City.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Ten_

I arrived at Cherrygrove close to dusk four days later. Taking a deep breath of the ocean air, I made my way towards the Pokemon Center, determined to get a room.

On a side note, I finally remembered why the belt I wore around my hips is so expensive and shown all over television.

On my way to Cherrygrove, I had been nearly overrun with other Pokemon Trainers wanting to battle. It was almost as if they had all decided to gather along the trail and challenge anything that moved and a majority of them had been Bug-Type Trainers.

One thing other Trainer's seem to forget about this particular type of Pokemon is that they _love_ to cause stasis problems for the enemy Pokemon. Just like how I have my Hoothoot and now Poliwag use Hypnosis while Nidoran uses Poison Sting against the enemy Pokemon, Bug-Type Trainers like to have _their_ Pokemon use their wider variety of status moves on others.

I'll say now that being on the opposite end of the attacks is _not_ fun for you _or_ your Pokemon.

This is where my new belt comes in.

After a particularly hard battle against such a Trainer, I had returned my victorious yet paralyzed Rattata and after accepting the prize money, I left as quickly as I could before yet another Trainer jumped me demanding a battle.

Stopping after a few minutes, I had released my paralyzed Pokemon, ready to cure it, only to find much to pleasure that it was no longer paralyzed. That was the spark that my brain had needed in order to work right and remember the belt's commercial in more detail. With a smug grin, I had returned a surprised Rattata and continued on my way, now meeting the challenges from the Bug Trainers with vigor.

After all, with my new belt, all medium status problems on my Pokemon would be healed for me after a certain number of steps.

All that crash course training had done wonders for my new Poliwag. Though still the weakest in terms of power and least lacking in terms of skill, it was no longer so far behind that it was painfully obvious.

What's more, Nidoran's now closer than ever to finally evolving. During the past few days, my Poison-Type had been steadily growing larger in both height and weight. It wouldn't be long, no more than a few days at the most one Trainer had said, before it started its evolution. Neither I nor Nidoran could be prouder. I'm getting a stronger Pokemon in my team which in turn meant it would be gaining more power.

Walking into the Pokemon Center with a skip in my step, I walked up to the front desk, expecting a cheery hello from the Nurse. Instead, all I received was a distracted looking smile that seemed a little to forced for a Joy.

Taken aback a little by the difference when supposedly all Nurse Joy's are happy and cheerful, I handed over my Pokemon to the distracted woman and asked for a room.

Key in hand, I hesitated for the briefest of moments, silently debating within my mind. With a soft sigh, I gave the Nurse a concerned look, not nearly as forced as it would have been with anyone else.

"Or you alright, Nurse Joy?"

"Hmm?" The nurse blinked, turning her attention back towards me. It took her a few seconds to register what I had asked her, and when she did she gave another forced smile. "Yes, of course."

Giving her a disbelieving look, I made a just as disbelieving noise in the back of my throat.

"Nurse Joy, its fine if you don't want to tell me, but please don't insult me by lying." My tone had lost quite a bit of its previous warmth this time around.

The older woman blushed in embarrassment, nodding glumly. Tucking my room key into my back pocket, I leaned up against the counter, once again giving the nurse a kind look.

"Now, shall we try this again? What's the matter Nurse Joy?" I gave her an encouraging look, nodding my head as if silently telling her to 'go on'.

The Joy got rid of her false cherry nature, instead replacing it with worry and concern. Wringing her hands around the hem of her pink and white dress; she bit her bottom lip as if debating with herself much like I had been only minutes before.

Opening her mouth to speak, a croak like sound came out instead much like when one has when they doesn't drink water in a while and their throat becomes dry and scratchy. Closing her mouth, she swallowed and tried again.

"There's this Pokemon that has been in this center's care for a while now, half a year really, having been abandoned by her Trainer." She swallowed again, shifting her weight back and forth on her legs, obvious anxious. "I've tried giving her to other Trainer's, hoping that they'd be able to take care of her and raise her, but they all gave her back within the week, some even within the day." She had started pacing by now, her eyes staring at the floor. "She's too mean, they would say, not wanting anything to do with them despites their best efforts. She even attacked one boys arm!" Nurse Joy's pitch raised here, her eyes wide as she waved about her left arm.

Blinking back tears, Nurse Joy spun around to face me, her hands once again clamped around a bundle of cloth from her dress. "And now-" she began only to stop because of a hic-up. Releasing her dress, she rubbed vigorously at her eyes, taking deep breaths to prevent crying.

Despite myself, I felt awkward. I've never been one for comforting other people, especially when crying. The most I can do is offer an uncomfortable hug on my part while giving half-hearted 'it's going to be okay'. It's not pretty.

Gaining back control of herself, the Joy lowered her hands and clasped them in front of her chest, her eyes downcast.

"Now, I have only a week to find her a Trainer that's willing to take her. If not, she'll have to be put down." Her voice was soft, her tone heartbroken.

I blinked my eyes in silent shock. I had no idea that Pokemon Centers actually '_put down_' Pokemon. This was all news to me. After all, one would think that Trainers would be more aware of this.

Forcing away my indifference on the matter, I forced a look of horror onto my face as I covered my mouth to hide my half amused smirk. If nothing else, I can act when the need is called upon. Now we'll see just how good of an actress I really am.

Playing the part of the Pokemon loving Trainer, I drop my hand and lean forward on the front counter, a worried look replacing my forced look of horror, though just as forced.

"But, can't you just release the Pokemon? Do you really have to put i-_her_ down?" I asked, barely catching my near slip-up when addressing the Pokemon. The Joy seemed to buy my act, though, and not catch my slip.

Shaking her head remorsefully, she took a shaky breath before answering my question. "Sadly, no. Quite a few years back a law was passed that any Pokemon abandoned in a Pokemon Center will have a six month window to find a new Trainer. Once the six months pass, the Pokemon is either to be released back into the wild or put down depending on certain circumstances. Attacking a Trainer means the latter of the two." She paused to wipe at her eyes. "So now, this Pokemon in my care will be put to death unless someone is willing to take it in within the week."

Despite myself, I found the situation fascinating. It's a rare occurrence for a Pokemon to hate humans as much as this Pokemon seems to. It's as if it hates humans just as much as I hate Pokemon. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the thought amusing and something I wouldn't want to look in to.

Giving a determined look, something that wasn't all that hard to fake this time around, I caught Nurse Joy's eye. Giving the kindest smile I could muster, I made my offer.

"I'll take her."

The Joy blinked slowly, as if she didn't find my sudden proposal to be real. Amused, I repeated my offer.

"I'll take the Pokemon, Nurse Joy."

After a few seconds to process what I said, combined with my determined look, a wide grin grew on her face. Her eyes started tearing up again, this time in pure happiness and she repeatedly said her thanks to me.

I decided not to tell her that the only reason that I'm willing to take the Pokemon with me is _because_ of its hate for humans, something that makes me curious and I have no plans in changing. Instead, I accepted the Pokémon's Pokeball, a Great Ball which only added to my curiosity, and headed up to my room to drop off my things and greet my newest member.

Here's to 'taking a walk on the wild side', as my mother would no doubt say.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eleven_

I sat cross legged in the middle of my room's bed, rolling my new Pokeball back and forth between my hands. It was already enlarged, ready to be opened at any time yet I refrained from doing so right off the bat.

While I find myself curious about my new Pokemon, I also plan on taking safety precautions as well. After all, Nurse Joy had said that said Pokemon had attacked another Trainer's arm. Depending on the Pokemon, that could be either something to laugh at because of the mental image, or something to be weary of.

Scowling, I curse myself for not thinking to ask just _what_ Pokemon I had accepted. For all I know, it could be one I already have. And it wasn't like I could just go down and _ask_ the Joy what the little (or big) monster is as that would only lead to unpleasant questions. Glaring down at the now motionless Pokeball, I once again curse myself as I pick it up and climb off the provided bed.

Standing at the edge of my bed, I aim the Pokeball and click it open, keeping it in my hand and ready to return the beast at a moment's notice if need be. The Pokemon appeared at the other side of the room, as far away from me as possible. With weary eyes, I allowed my brain to register what my newest Pokemon is, only to blink wildly.

Creamy orange fur? Check

Black strips over said orange fur? Check.

Underbelly, top of its head, and tail covered in white fur? Check.

Tail one big fluffy mess? Check.

A jagged scar running down the length of its right side from its shoulder to the base of its tail, that's all the more visible because f its short fur? Different, but still check.

I couldn't help myself; I doubled over in a laughter fit at the irony of it all.

A Growlithe. A _Growlithe_ was the mystery human hating Pokemon. And here I always thought that Growlithe's were the perfect human companion, being beyond loyal to its Trainer or owner. While I still hate and distrust Pokemon, even I had to relent that the one Pokemon lease likely to turn on the human race are the Growlithe's, yet here I am now, proven right that _no_ Pokemon species is loyal in the end.

Take _that_ mom and dad!

I was brought out of my laughing fit by the sound of an ominous growl. Standing straight up, I wiped at the corner of my eyes to get rid of my tears brought on by my laughing. Back into my right state of mind, I give the growling Growlithe (I snicker at my unplanned pun-ish thought) a smirk as I crouch down to match its eye level. Resting my elbow on my thigh, I plop my chin on my curled knuckles.

The two of us stared each other down for a good ten minutes, my legs screaming at me in pain, but I do my best to ignore it. Eventually, the Pokemon softens its growling, though it's still there.

Figuring that this is the best I'm going to get, I allow myself to fall back and land on my bottom, my legs instantly feeling better with the sudden blood flow. Just as quickly, the Growlithe took a step back and its growling once again increased, its teeth bared at me.

I raised my hands so they were in plain view as I sent it an amused look. Very slowly, so that I didn't irritate it so much that it'd attack; I set my hands upon my knees as I leaned up against the edge of the bed. For yet another ten minutes, we stayed like that, the Growlithe growling and bearing its teeth while I returned the star with one of amusement and curiosity.

"You hate humans." I didn't so much ask as I announced. The Growlithe's ears pressed tightly against its skull as it showed more of its teeth at me, almost as if saying 'you have a problem with that?' Much like before, I set my elbow on my knee as I rested the side of my cheek against it, smiling at the aggressive, human-hating Pokemon. "I can care less."

It faltered in its growling, momentarily taken back by my words. No doubt all of it's past Trainer's that Nurse Joy had given it to had tried making it see 'the light' and love the human race much like how my dad tried with me, only with Pokemon instead of humans. And from the looks of things, not only did they fail, but they I wouldn't be surprised if they made the Pokemon hate humans even more than ever. For me to say such a thing to it caught its attention, at the very least. Now came the tricky part; negotiations.

"So you hate humans; it's not unheard of for some Pokemon. Just like how some human's hate Pokemon. Take myself, for example." Growlithe was now silent, curiosity matching my own showing through its otherwise guarded eyes. That's always a good sign.

I gave a nod before I continued speaking, a mock smile on my face. "That's right, I hate Pokemon and yet, I'm a _Pokemon Trainer_." I couldn't help the sneer that came with saying it out loud. "My reasons for being such are purely selfish, of course, just like how the Pokemon on my team are only with me for selfish reasons. They tolerate me, and I tolerate them so that we can all reach out personal goals by using each other to get there."

The Fire-type Pokemon finally sat, staring at me intently as it processed what I was telling it. A cautious look entered its eyes as it eyed me, taking in my appearance. Its eyes rested upon my currently empty belt which normally holds my Pokeballs by far the longest. When its eyes returned to mine, I gave it a hard stare.

"I can't promise to ever truly care for you, but I doubt that you'd want me to anyways. What I _can_ offer you is a way to get stronger and test your strength and skill against other, _stronger_, Pokemon. Like I said earlier, despite my hate for Pokemon, I reserve a certain tolerance for the Pokemon on my team. I train you to the best that you're capable of, and you win for me when it comes to battling. At the end of it all, I'll either release you back into the wild, or give you to another strong Trainer to continue your training if that's what you want. " I offered the Growlithe a toothy grin that was anything _but_ cheery. "Do we have ourselves a deal?"

The Growlithe didn't give an immediate answer, instead spending a few minutes going over it in its mind. I waited patiently for its answer not all that worried for the outcome. After the few minutes wait, the Growlithe gave a sharp nod of its own, sitting tall and proud like any Growlithe would.

I smiled a smug smile in return.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a quick thanks to my reviewers, SparklySuu and 811ShadowAngel. Your reviews made my day ^^

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twelve_

I spent the following week at Cherrygrove, using up all of my free nights at the Center and allowing myself to relax at their beach when I wasn't busy training my Pokemon.

Growlithe had been quickly accepted by my other Pokemon, its serious and silent nature helping in the matter I think. Secretly, I can't help but wonder how my Pokemon would handle a hyper, cheerful Pokemon seeing how they are anything _but_ hyper and cheerful unless in battle. While I find the possibilities amusing, I doubt I would be able to handle it much better than my Pokemon so it'd be unlikely to actually happen.

Nurse Joy had been ecstatic when I had come back down to the main lobby with Growlithe walking beside me. She had been too happy and busy crying yet _again_ to ask me how I had managed to get the supposed human hating Pokemon to walk at my side. And that's where the Growlithe stayed, too.

Here's a fun fact about my new Pokemon: it _hates_ being inside its Pokeball. It's to the point where even when I try returning it, it'll just come back out with a snarl and be in a bad mood, worse than usual, for the next few hours. The Joy thought it was cute, thinking that it didn't want to be away from me. I found it annoying, and though I knew that Joy was wrong in her reasoning, I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything to ruin her 'happy place'. I'd let her think what she wanted, seeing how it keeps her happy and avoids unpleasant questions on my half.

When she finally did get around to asking me how I had managed to do it, all I told her was that we had talked it out. I wasn't _technically_ lying either; I just didn't tell her what was said.

None the less, on my seventh day of I had returned my room key and made my way towards the next major city, Violet City, which also doubles as my first Gym Leader battle. To be honest with myself, I'm actually excited about the upcoming battle, or more importantly, my first Gym Badge. It'd be time to put my Pokemon and all of our training to the test.

Spearing a glance at Growlithe, whose head reaches my hip, I like to think that we're ready. And if not, I still have another week's worth of practice that I can get in since that's about how long it'll take to even _get_ to Violet City.

Making a mental note to invest in a bike for quicker travels, I gave one last look back at civilization.

How I hate camping out.

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was on the second day of my travel towards Violet City that I ran into him. Well, he's the one that ran into me really technically.

At first, while annoyed at being knocked down, I thought nothing of the boy, hoping to just forget it and continue on my way. It seemed like that was how things were going to go, too, until the boy caught sight of Growlithe (who _still_ refused to go inside its Pokeball).

That's when things got unpleasant.

Turns out that the boy was one of the Trainers that Nurse Joy had tried giving Growlithe to, and would you believe it? He was also the only one that Growlithe had bitten. Had the scars to prove it, too, much to my silent amusement.

Yeah, small world, isn't it?

I sent the boy (he couldn't be older the fifteen, which is younger than me at any rate so I could get away with calling him such) an unimpressed look as he bad mouthed my newest Pokemon to me and boy did he have a _dirty_ vocabulary. Apparently, he never got over being bitten by a Pokemon. Go figure.

Angry about not getting a response out of me, he took a second to silently fume before reaching for one of the Pokeballs on his belt. I was able to share a quick glance with Growlithe before the boy released his chosen Pokemon. Like all my previous Trainer battles, I waited anxiously to see the Pokemon. When the Pokemon _did_ finally become visible, I _really_ wanted to hit my head against something.

An Elekid. The boy released a damn _Elekid_ of all Pokemon.

I briefly wondered if they were the new fad, much like how Pikachu's were a few years back because of the then new Champion of Kanto started out with one. Covering up my irritation with a sigh, I reached for a Pokeball of my own. Growlithe gave an annoyed huff at not being chosen to battle, but I ignored it. After all, I've been itching for a chance to test one of my Pokémon's strengths for a bit now.

Calmly clicking open the Pokeball, I released my own Pokemon. Besides, this way if things got out of hand I'd now have two Pokemon out to protect me if necessary.

Where once would stand a small, purple horned Pokemon now stood a much larger, dark purple Pokemon with not only longer, sharper spikes running along its back, but a larger, more dangerous horn upon its head with proper nails on both front and back legs.

That's right, my Nidoran finally got around to evolving into a Nidorino. Training with Growlithe _really_ helped quicken the process; I'm pretty sure that this is what finally made my other Pokemon accept the Fire-Type into our group. That and the fact that it hates humans, something that caused all four of my other Pokemon to laugh much like I did when they found out by said Growlithe. Apparently they found the irony as well.

Upon see its opponent, Nidorino lowered its head to where its horn was facing the Elekid as it pawed at the ground, its claws tearing up the dirt.

I spared the boy another unimpressed look before focusing on the two Pokemon.

The boy, ticked at me for not only giving him such looks, but for also not sending in Growlithe, let out a frustrated sounding scream as he stomped his foot much like how a child would when throwing a tantrum.

Yeah, _that's_ mature.

"Poison Sting." I commanded softly and Nidorino instantly responded, hitting the surprised Pokémon's stomach with its poison needles. Not giving the opponent any time to recover and issue an attack, I gave another command. "Peck followed up by Double Kick."

They boy shook himself visibly, managing to call out a 'dodge' to his Pokemon though he was a little too late.

While the Elekid managed to dodge the blunt of the attack, its poisoned body was to slow to not get clipped by my Pokémon's Peck on its arm, causing it to cry out in pain. Nidorino wasted no time in turning around to issue its second attack, Double Kick. It's new, sharp claws on its hind legs only added to the attack, cutting the Elekid's body as well as kicking it back.

As the Elekid went down for the count, I noticed with vague annoyance that the Pokemon had managed to send enough sparks coursing through Nidorino's body to paralyze it. Unable to move, it continued to face me, its backside towards the opponent. I gave it a hard yet pleased look that I knew it picked up on as it threw its head back as far as it could in smug pride for winning, even though it got paralyzed in the process. Giving it a sharp nod, I returned it.

The boy had already returned his fainted Pokemon, and I allowed myself to feel as smug as my Nidorino. The Elekid species and I were now tied one to one. The boy, seeing my smug look and no doubt thinking that it was directed towards him (though it kind of _was_) snarled at me and sent out another Pokemon. I hummed as I counted the four other Pokeballs on his belt, making up a total of six Pokemon. No doubt the boy would end up sending them all out in our little battle.

The Pokemon that he sent out his time around was one that I'm quite familiar with; a Hoothoot. He started going on about how his Hoothoot was something or another from some such Pokemon. I tuned out his annoying voice to the best of my ability as I reached for my next Pokemon. Guess now would be the best time to find out how my Hoothoot compares to other, trained Hoothoot's.

Once again I calmly clicked open my Pokeball, unlike the boy who seemed to find it necessary to not only throw his Pokeball, but yell out the over used 'I choose you!'. Rolling my eyes at the younger teen, I sighed. Briefly, I wondered why a seemingly fifteen year old boy had such weak Pokemon on him, since he should have been at the Trainer business for a few years now, but in the end brushed it off as it didn't concern the battle.

Our Hoothoot's were about the same in height, mine being only a few inched taller than his own. Whereas my Pokemon sat upon one of the tree branches above us in a dignified manner, his Hoothoot flew around in circles, chirping nonstop. The boy flushed in seemingly embarrassment as he yelled at his Hoothoot. While I sent the boy yet another unimpressed look (something that I found myself doing a lot of concerning him), my Hoothoot seemed to do the same, but towards the boy's Hoothoot. Yeah, Hoothoot and I are alike in some aspects.

I silently prayed to whoever would listen for this to be over with already as the boy moved onto begging his Pokemon to battle. I shared a sigh with my two present Pokemon as we watch the boy's Pokemon attack him with peck. This is going to be a _long_ day.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirteen_

I walked away from the cursing boy, counting out my prize money with a smug smile. Growlithe strutted along beside me, its head and tail held high to show off its own smugness. Needless to say, we won with only a single loss on my side: Rattata. And even then, the only reason that the boy's Pokemon was able to beat Rattata was because it was injured from fighting and _winning_ against another of the boys Pokemon. All in all, all five of my Pokemon got a chance to partake in the Trainer Battle, all of them winning. I counted Rattata as well, since it _did_ manage to beat one of his Pokemon all on its own.

I'm pretty sure that out of us all, Growlithe enjoyed itself the most, being able to go up against the one Trainer that it had attacked for whatever reason.

Sparing the smug puppy Pokemon a curious look, I shrugged off the urge to go back and question the Trainer and ask just _what_ he did to make the Growlithe so mad.

I doubt that he'd be willing to tell me, even if he did win the battle.

Instead, I focused on reaching Violet City in one piece.

We walked in silence for the next two hours, trying to make up for lost time. Checking my map, (holding it correctly this time, might I just add in) I figured that we still had a few days of walking to get through the two different routes that one needed to walk through to reach the next city. I _was_ pleased to notice though that there should be a Pokemon Center coming up soon, with in another days walking time if I paced myself. Giving a quick peek at my watch, I put away my map only to pull out healing supplies for my wounded Rattata. Letting the Pokemon out, I spent the next few minutes healing it until it was as good as new.

Satisfied, I released the rest of my Pokemon one at a time until they were all gathered around me and healed them as well, some of them more hurt then others. I made a mental note to buy more healing supplies once we got to town.

Giving them a smirk that comes the closest to a smile from me, I congratulated them on their earlier battle. Nidorino tossed back its head as it gave a prideful snort, Rattata's fur bristled in annoyance for having lost its second match causing me to send it an amused look, Hoothoot ruffled up its feathers from where it sat up above us in the lowest tree branch with a better-than-thou look on its face, Poliwag seemed to share my smirk, and Growlithe still sat up straight with a smug look in its eye.

At times like these, I have to admit that my Pokemon and I really _are_ alike in attitude.

"Now I'll be getting lunch started, so while I'm cooking you five are going to have free reign over your training. You can do anything that you feel like as long as you keep your ears open for my three whistles. If you don't come back when I whistle, I'll assume that you challenged a Pokemon stronger than you and lost." They all seemed to frown at that remark. "Sound good?" A round of nods from my Pokemon and I waved them off as I set down my heavy backpack to stretch. They split up without having to be told twice, all eager at the thought of being in charge of their own training while proving that they wouldn't be beaten by a wild Pokemon.

I watched them all run off, or fly off in Hoothoot's case, with something akin to pride well up inside me. Brushing it off, I focused back at the task at hand.

Humming to myself to get rid of the silence, I began the tedious task of cooking.

-.-.-.-.-.-

On the fifth night of traveling, I camped out beside a small pond that I had come across, missing the bed at the Pokemon Center already. Instead of staying there for the full week like I would usually do, I had only stayed the one night. I was determined to reach Violet City as soon as possible, damn it.

Letting out Hoothoot, something that I've become accustomed to over time, I also let out Poliwag seeing how we were by a pond. Poliwag let out a happy sigh at the prospect of being allowed out for the night and headed straight for the small pond.

Since it was early on in the night, I laid out my sleeping bag and got to work on starting a small fire to keep warm. Spending a few minutes to gather a decent pile of wood, I cleared out a spot like I was taught and set rocks into a circle shape. Adding a few dry pieces of wood, Growlithe used its ember to actually start the fire. With the fire going, I sat on my sleeping bag and kicked off my shoes, allowing myself to relax. Yawning, Growlithe went over and curled up on the opposite side of the fire, laying closer to it then I would ever dare.

The four of us stayed like that for a while; me relaxing in front of the fire, occasionally adding a log when needed, Hoothoot resting up above us all in the trees, Poliwag floating in the pond's water, and Growlithe dozing next to the fire much like myself. Despite myself, I was content with my surroundings for a change.

My happy mood was destroyed when Growlithe's head shot up, eyes glaring into the now darkness of the night with its ears standing up straight. Hoothoot was the next to react, turning to face the same direction as Growlithe was facing. Unlike the Fire-Type, though, Hoothoot began flapping its wings as it went to go investigate whatever it was that caught my Pokémon's attention. I noticed briefly that Poliwag had gotten closer to the pond's edge, no doubt wondering what was going on.

Hoothoot returned not even a minute later, landing back on the branch that it'd claimed for the night. My three Pokemon seemed to share a brief conversation, perhaps Hoothoot telling them what it found. I could only watch in curiosity, unable to even remotely understand what they were saying to one other.

Whatever it was, Growlithe was anything but pleased. It stood and growled into the darkness, a snarl coming out in between the growls on occasion. The Pokemon seemed more annoyed then anything, though, which made my curiosity grow since Hoothoot went back to doing its own thing and Poliwag went back to swimming.

A few minutes later, I finally heard what my Pokemon had heard. The sounds of breaking twigs and cursing reached my ears, making me tilt my head as I tried to make out what was being said.

So it _obviously_ wasn't a Pokemon, which meant human. With a snort, I shook my head at my Growlithe's behavior. No wonder it seems so annoyed. Much like how I still hate the Pokemon that's not apart of my team, Growlithe still has a hate for humans that aren't me or a Joy. While not liking me, it does hold certain indifference for me; much like how I see my Pokemon and it only tolerates the different Joy's seeing how it's their job to heal Pokemon. We make a great pair, no?

Relaxing once again, I listened as the noise got closer and closer, causing Growlithe's growling and snarling to get louder and louder. Finally, it seemed that the mystery person became aware of Growlithe, the noises stopping and all became silent except for Growlithe's warnings and the fire crackling at times.

Humming to myself to ease some of the tension, I leaned forward and poked the fire with a stick that I had proclaimed to be my 'poker stick' for the night. Creative, aren't I?

"Um, excuse me…?" A girl, I decided, after actually hearing the voice speak so close. "Do you think that I can come and sit by your fire? I'm lost, you see, and really cold, and almost out of food…" I tuned the girl out as I added another log to the dying fire, wrinkling my nose at the girl's continuous babble. I amused myself with the thought that Growlithe's behavior concerning humans seemed to be rubbing off on me. Though, to be fair, so far the only other human beings that I've met while on my journey that I could actually stand were the few Joy's and the first Trainer that I battled, someone who I don't even know the name of. That's not saying much for the human race.

"Growlithe," I called out softly, to low for the girl to hear. My Pokemon spared a look at me as it continued to growl and snarl, pacing back and forth of where the girl was standing off too far for me to actually see her. I gave it a meaningful look as I pointed to the end of my sleeping bag, silently telling it to heel and calm down. "I know that you don't like humans, but I can't just let her freeze or starve to death. I'll send her on her way as soon as possible tomorrow, okay?" I said, trying to compromise with my stubborn Pokemon. "And if she tries anything funny during the night, you can do anything you see fit to stop her, deal?"

Growlithe glared at me for a few seconds, not wanting to give in. Gradually, it stopped its growling and came to sit at the end of my sleeping bag, much like how Nidorino did when it was still a Nidoran, with a scowl on its face. I rolled my eyes at my pouting Pokemon, both annoyed and amused at its actions.

The girl had stopped talking a bit ago, though still there no doubt. Sighing, I called out to her, inviting her to come join me. I apparently didn't need to tell her twice as she might as well of come sprinting into my man-made campground.

She was a young one, no older then eleven, if that. No doubt new to the whole Trainer experience. She had long red hair, reaching her mid-back and admittedly pretty green eyes. I took in her impractical clothes, clothes one would normally wear when on a walk around town, not on a Pokemon Journey. Upon her belt were two Pokeballs, both bright and shiny new unlike my own, which have scruff marks and a thin layer of dirt surrounding them. I really should get around to cleaning them…

She introduced herself as Brooke, sitting where Growlithe had lain beforehand. Sighing, I got comfortable on my sleeping bag as I half listened to the younger girl talk about herself. I felt myself doze after a while, her voice putting me to sleep, as mean as that sounds.

Closing my eyes, I let myself fall asleep confident that if Growlithe didn't watch over out 'guest' (I wouldn't be surprised if it stayed up all night doing just that), then Hoothoot would. I didn't count Poliwag if only because it would no doubt be too busy sleeping or swimming to keep watch over our unexpected 'guest'. Either way, sleeping sounds _really_ good right about now.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Author's Note**: Just a quick note to say that I went back and fixed a few things in the previous chapter. It's now a few hundred words longer, though nothing's really changed. Just added in some things while fixing some other things. Not mandatory to go back and read if you read it when it was posted as you won't be missing much.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fourteen_

I woke up to a sudden loud noise, much like that of a yelp.

It was still dark out, the fire having died out and the moon's light blocked out by the thick trees. I was half tempted to simply ignore it, memories of the last time being woken by such a noise coming to the front of my sleep filled mind. I had no wish to find my Hoothoot eating again, thank you very much.

I had just finished that thought when the bottom of my sleeping bag seemed to shift as Growlithe began growling into the darkness. Another yelp, this time that of a human's, brief silence besides Growlithe's growling, and then a whispered 'Good Growlithe, no biting now' from a somewhat familiar voice finally had me opening my eyes. My slightly more awake mind supplied that the voice belonged to the young girl that had stumbled across me earlier; Brooke's her name if I remembered correctly.

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes in a hopeless attempt in getting them adjusted to the night. Such an act proved to be useless as not even a second later Growlithe released a powerful Ember that engulfed two green vines that had been previously reaching for my backpack. A pained cry joined in my Growlithe's growling as I watched the lit vines retract back to a small green Pokemon. A Chikorita, to be precise, who was standing beside a panicking young girl; Brooke.

Now fully awake, my eyes narrowed as I slipped out of my sleeping bag to where I was kneeling on top of it besides my Growlithe. I spent a few seconds trying to locate Hoothoot and Poliwag, but gave up quickly afterwards as the brief light provided by Growlithe's Ember died out, the Chikorita's two vines no longer on fire thanks to Brooke pouring water on them from a water bottle.

"If the other Pokemon tries anything again, give it another Ember." I whispered quietly to a still Growlithe, to which it responded by standing in front of me to get a better shot if need be. To anyone else, it wound no doubt look as if it was standing in front of me to protect me.

Yeah, right.

Trying to make out the young girl, I spoke up loud enough for her to hear over my snarling Pokemon. "Do you mind telling me what's going on and why your Pokemon tried taking my bag?" I tried keeping my tone light, not wanting to frighten the girl more then she already was, though a part of my mind was whispering that she deserved it after trying to steal from me while I was asleep.

Brooke was silent on her side, making me frown. It figures that when I try and help some lost stranger, ten years old or not, they go and try stealing from me. I tried a different approach, my annoyance getting the better of me as I gave into my previous whispering voice.

"Don't make me have my Pokemon attack. You don't _honestly_ believe that Growlithe is the only one that I have out, do you? The least you can do is answer after trying to steal from me." My tone was much harder this time around, my threat clear and anything _but_ empty. I tactfully left out that her Chikorita has a type advantage over one of my present Pokemon if only because Hoothoot and Growlithe have a type advantage over said Chikorita.

"No, please, I'm sorry!" She quickly responded in a slightly panicked voice and I could just imagine her looking around in a desperate attempt to find my other Pokemon. While I normally wouldn't be so hard on her, any sense of pity that I might have felt for her disappeared when my mind reminded me in what she had been trying to do. I don't take to kindly to stealing, especially not after what my dad did.

"We were only going to take some of your food, really! We don't have that much left, and we would have run out soon if we didn't…" She trailed off meekly at the end, her voice taking on a pleading quality.

I made a noise in the back of my throat that spoke of my disbelief. "If that's your reason, then why didn't you just _ask_ me for some of my food?" I gave her outline a pointed look, even though I knew that she wouldn't be able to see it. I was just grateful that my eyes were finally starting to adjust to the dark.

"You were already asleep and I didn't want to wake you…?" She mumbled out as a weak question. I almost couldn't hear her over Growlithe's continuous growling, but I wasn't about to have it stop. Let the girl sweat a bit.

"Hmm." I responded, slightly distracted by the large red eyes that appeared up in the trees from behind Brooke. An idea hit me with the appearance of Hoothoot and I gave a small smile, unseen by everyone except for maybe Hoothoot itself.

Raising my arm in the universal sign that Flying-Type Pokemon use as a perch, I motioned my Hoothoot over. I knew my Pokemon understood what I wanted when it gave a light hoot and glided over only to land on my head. Damn Pokemon…

"Wh-what are you doing?" Brooke asked with a stutter. I could vaguely make out her taking a step back, unable to make out her Pokemon. Giving her direction a smirk, I whispered to my Hoothoot low enough for only it and Growlithe to hear.

"Use Hypnosis on both of them, Hoothoot. I want them asleep so we can leave without having the fear them following us." Hoothoot gave a confirmative cluck of its tongue, leaning forward on my head. I knew without having to look that my Pokémon's red eyes were glowing brighter than normal as it stared down both human and Pokemon, red ring like circles flying towards the two. I kept my own eyes close, just in case. Better safe than sorry after all.

When I heard two soft thumps, I opened my eyes again and tried to make out the two now sleeping beings. Unable to, I simply shrugged and after thanking Hoothoot, I stood and began cleaning up my things after locating my flashlight from my bag. Growlithe kept an eye on the two sleeping as I packed up my things, still not trusting them despite Hoothoot putting them in a deep sleep.

This was so the last time that I decided to go out of my way and help a random stranger. Next time I'll just let Growlithe chase them off; it'd no doubt enjoy _that_.

Everything cleaned up and packed away; I gave into my small amount of pity and left behind a few zip-up bags of food for the girl and her Pokemon, setting them beside her sleeping form. Who knows if they had been lying about the whole 'running out of food' bit, but I still couldn't just leave them if she was telling the truth. My conscience wouldn't allow it, stupid thing.

Shaking my head to clear it, I stood and returned my Poliwag who just now decided to show up. I left out Hoothoot along with Growlithe (who seemed pleased that we were leaving the other human behind) since it was the only nocturnal Pokemon that I have besides Rattata who I didn't really want to let out at the moment.

Shouldering my backpack, we set off. Trying to lighten the mood, I joked that at least this way, they could get a chance to go up against Pokemon that only liked to come out at night.

Oh the fun.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifteen_

We arrived in Violet City a few days later, much to my delight. After the experience with Brooke, I made sure to stay away from other Pokemon Trainer's during the night, even though I knew in my mind that that situation was unlikely to happen again. Call me paranoid if you must.

About the only good thing that came out of the whole thing was finding out the joys of night training. Not only that, but I found that about an hour's walk from the city was a rather well known cave called, now bare with me here, 'Dark Cave'.

And I thought that _my_ creativity was bad.

Whoever named this cave, which linked Violet City to not only Blackthorn City, but also had an opening a little in between New Bark Town and Catallia City, clearly had some kind of problem.

Wonderful that I find out about that _now,_ though, when I finally managed to reach Violet City; then again, that's just my kind of luck.

None the less, it offered a great training spot for Poliwag, being able to go up against the Rock Type-Pokemon to its heart's content. The only down side about the place is that it really does live up to its name, being incredibly dark to where even my flashlight barely helps when exploring, the large rocks blocking the distance of the light. It got to the point where I had simple sent off Poliwag with Hoothoot as a guide to get in some easy training with orders to practice on its water attacks.

Only when I stumbled out of the cave did I find out that there's a move out there that Pokemon can learn that light up the cave for Trainer's. Again, more creativity here: Flash.

Yeah.

At times like these I really have to question the minds of the people who think these kinds of things up.

Checking in at the Pokemon Center, I had a brief fight with Growlithe about returning to its Pokeball again, much like the last time we stopped at a Pokemon Center. The Nurse Joy had ended our fight, saying that if Growlithe would prefer, she could heal it out of its Pokeball. I had sent the smug Pokemon a glare though I agreed.

Getting my room key, I scouted out my room. Once I found it, I headed straight to the shower. How other Trainer's could possibly get use to not showering for days on end will continue to be a mystery to me for years to come no doubt. I made a mental note to call up my sister at some point and find out how she manages since she's a bigger clean freak than I am.

Stepping out of the bathroom an hour later and rubbing my wet hair with a provided towel, I checked the time as I tossed the now wet towel into the hamper as I set about brushing my hair. Frowning at the length it's grown in the past few weeks, I add in a hair salon to my must-see places while in town.

Leaving my room, I make my way back down to the main lobby, intending to pick up my Pokemon to get in some more training before going up against the Gym Leader.

Unlike most Trainer's, I planned to wait a few days before going in and demanding a Pokemon Battle against a Gym Leader. Instead, I plan to scout out my surrounding and find out all that I can about the person. If possible, I'd even go and see a battle between them and another Trainer however unlikely that might be.

Accepting back my Pokemon from the cherry Nurse (I don't care who you are, Joys are meant to be happy. Otherwise, it's just _weird_), I head out of the Center with Growlithe trotting along behind me. My first stop, a hair salon…

-.-.-.-.-.-

One hair cut, a stop by the Poke Mark, Supermarket, and candy store later (what, I have a sweet tooth every now and then), I made my way towards the city's biggest landmark; Sprout Tower.

While walking through the rather large city, I had stopped and asked a few other, older Trainers where a good spot to train is. As it turns out, Sprout Tower is such a place.

Apparently, Monks took to spending their time inside it and Pokemon Trainer's were always welcome to go in and challenge them to a battle. From what I've been told, if one managed to make it all the way to the top and beat the Head Monk in a Pokemon Battle, they'd win a prize.

I'll admit; my greed got the better of me again.

It didn't take me long to find the tall building seeing how it's rather hard to miss. Stepping inside, I spend a moment simply watching the swaying beam, my eyes glued to it in interest. Getting closer, I overheard a voice explaining to a group of people about the tower, so I casually walked over and stood a few feet away from the group, listening in on what was being said.

Most of it I already knew thanks to the locals, but I continued to listen if only to say that I've heard the proper story behind the tower.

As the group wondered off, I went the other way towards the stairs. I hesitated briefly, unconsciously rubbing my fingers along my Pokeballs. Squaring my shoulders, I took the first step, then the other, and the other. Quickly I found myself at the top of the stairs, Growlithe trailing behind me at its own, rather relaxed pace.

Looking around the second floor (which looked no different than the first besides the lack of people), I was about to make my way towards the second set of stairs when I heard someone call out to me.

Pausing, I craned my head back down the stairs, only to see a bald Monk taking the steps two at a time in his long purple robes. Blinking in surprise, I waited for the man to get to the top of the stairs, taking a small step back so he would have enough room to stand without staying on the stairs. Growlithe slipped back behind me, a low growl in the back of its throat, not that the Monk seemed to take notice. Rolling my eyes at my Pokemon, I smiled at the Monk that now stood before me. He didn't return my smile, something that immediately set me on edge.

"Do you have the Violet City's Gym Badge?" He asked rather harshly, something that surprised me even more. Weren't Monks supposed to be kind, easy going people? On one hand, this Monk _did_ look pretty young; maybe he's new to the whole 'Monk' thing.

"No," I answered with slightly narrowed eyes, "not yet."

The Monk stood straighter, a smug look on his bald headed face. My annoyance for the guy grew, Growlithe peaking out its head from behind me to snarl at the suddenly cautious looking man.

At times like these, I'm secretly glad that I have a human hating Pokemon on my team that most would think is simple being over protective of its Trainer.

Clearing his throat, the Monk tried his best holier-than-thou look, though his eyes often drifted to Growlithe. "Seeing how you don't have a Gym Badge, you may not enter past the first floor. Please leave." He finished with a sniff, his nose wrinkling at me.

I outright glared. Growlithe took a step to where it was standing at my side at an angle to where its scar was plain to see as it flashed its teeth at the Monk. I kept glaring as a lazy smirk appeared at my Pokémon's actions. It might as well be saying 'Do you think you can do any worse?'

Without a word, I walked around the stiff Monk, brushing my shoulder against his despite their being enough space between him and the stairs. I head Growlithe followed slowly after, its nails scraping purposely against the hard wood floor.

Well, isn't that just a convenient little thing that the other Trainer's had left out when telling me about the tower?

Asking the tour group leader that I had been eavesdropping on earlier, I asked her about what the Monk had said. Turns out that what he said _was_ true, it being a rule set in place between the Gym Leader and the Monks of the Tower. A few years ago, it had been the other way around, one needing to beat the Monks challenge in order to challenge the Gym leader, but they had changed the order when one Trainer had complained to the Elite Four when he was unable to beat the head Monk. Surprisingly, the Elite Four had gone in favor of the Trainer, having the Gym Leader and Monks change their ways.

Fun fact: the boy who went and complained to the Elite Four never could beat Falkner, and eventually gave up Pokemon Training and returned home.

With a sigh, I headed outside and towards the edge of the city. Looks like it's the old fashion way for me.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixteen_

I began training at night more often, getting into the habit of switching up the times that I'd train with my Pokemon. About every other day, I'd have them train during the night as well as during the day, though for not as long as they could have. While having to sleep in later then I usually would the next morning's, my Pokemon seemed to enjoy the new challenge and began looking forward to our afterhours training sessions. Hoothoot, in particular, really loved them, though that's to be expected I guess.

On a few different occasions I made the hour walk to Dark Cave, letting Poliwag get in as much training as possible with the different Rock-Type Pokemon that the cave had to offer. When I did make the trek, I usually waited outside training my other Pokemon while Hoothoot stuck with Poliwag to keep it from getting lost and act as backup if needed. I'll admit that its training in the cave was doing the Water-Type wonders. I'd even dare say that its Hypnosis has improved as well, though I'd be willing to bet that it'd got some tutoring in from Hoothoot who favored the move.

At the moment, I stood in front of Violet City's Gym, my eyes reading over the sign that I've read countless times in the past few days. With a fully healed team of Pokemon and on my fifth day in the city, I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, a blast of cool air greeting me.

Making my way over to the front desk, I smiled at the woman working behind the desk. Returning my smile with her own sickly sweet one, she welcomed me to the Violet City Gym.

"Are you here to challenge Falkner?" She asked with her sickly sweet smile, something that made me twitch. I had to bite back a sarcastic remark that no, I was just coming in to say hi; my nerves were getting the better of me.

Instead, I gave her a silent nod. She continued to give me that smile of hers, it never fading, as she faced her computer. There was a small pause between us as she typed away on her keyboard; I shifted from foot to foot anxiously. Beside me, Growlithe made a snorting sound, already fed up with being in the presence of other humans so close. I sent it a half-hearted glare, not really in the mood to put up with its temper that liked to flare when around others.

"The closest opening for a battle is three hours from now if you wish to battle today." The elderly woman informed me, her eyes never leaving the computer screen as she _continued_ to smile. Creeper, that's what she is.

"Very well. I'll take it." I forced a smile onto my face though I'd rather be frowning.

She nodded and I gave her my name, Trainer ID, and hometown (why they would need to know such a thing is a mystery to me). Promising to return within the three hours, I made a rather hasty retreat out of the building.

Well, great. What am I suppose to do for another three hours? Sighing, I began walking in the direction of a park that I had stumbled across the previous day. Might as well go torture my Growlithe for a bit by having it be swarmed by little hopeful Pokemon Trainers. Grinning at the thought, I sped up my pace as my oblivious Pokemon followed.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I returned back at the Gym within ten minutes of my scheduled time, much like how I said I would. Trailing a little behind me walked a very displeased Growlithe. With its fur sticking up in some places, matted in other with some sort of sticky substance, it was anything _but_ happy. It had been a miracle that it hadn't gone and attacked the children quite honestly, though with my threat of becoming their permanent play-Pokemon until we left kept it behaved; for the most part.

What's one little nip at a rather brave boy that had decided to pull on my Pokémon's ear after all?

Oh well; I was at least amused by the whole ordeal though the parents of the one boy hadn't seemed to have been. Meh, it's a good learning experience for the boy I say. I bet he'll never go _near_ another Pokémon's ear again, much less pull on one.

Coming back to the task at hand, I stepped into the elevator that would end up taking me to Falkner who was waiting on the Gym's roof. The joy of it all.

It's no secret among the people that Falkner specializes in Flying-Type Pokemon. Learning this, I had prepared accordingly, even going out and catching a new Pokemon with a type advantage that ever so fortunately lived just outside the city.

Walking out of the elevator, my first thought when seeing the Gym Leader was '_What's up with the blue hair?_'

I briefly wondered if it was some sort of rule that Pokemon Trainer's had to have weirdly colored hair. Already I've seen some pretty interesting colors, ranging from dull purple to neon green (which, I have to admit, _was_ pretty cool looking). Even the Gym Leader had an unusual hair color for heaven sakes! Would it hurt to have _normal_ looking hair for once, or am I all alone in that aspect? Should I just go out and dye my hair an outrageous color as well so I'm not breaking any unspoken rules amongst the Pokemon Trainers?

Okay, mental rant over, nerves somewhat gone. Blinking, I replaced my frown with a half hearted smile, not that it'd be any use at this point.

As if sensing my earlier thoughts, the elder male glared at me as he crossed his arms over his chest. Well, someone's cranky…

'_Maybe he lost his last battle'_ I thought with an amused look, to which his glare hardened.

"My name is Falkner, and I'm the Gym Leader of Violet City. We will start our battle for the Zephyr Badge in a minute's time, so I would suggest using that minute to prepare." His voice was nearly completely empty of emotion, though he held onto his glare. I meekly walked over to the other side of the battle field, keeping my eyes in front of me and pointed towards the ground. No point in making him angrier than he already is after all.

Not bothering in offering him another smile, seeing how it would do little for his mood, I instead grab one of the six Pokeballs off my belt and fiddle with it as I wait. I already know what Pokemon that I'm going to be using, having decided last night.

Time passed slowly, despite it only being a minute. By the end of it, I was fidgeting and looking towards the referee, praying for him to get on with it and start the match less I catch fire by Falkner's glare. I don't know what I did to make him so mad, but whatever it was I was regretting it. Pathetic, maybe, but being under the glare of a Pokemon Gym Leader is _not_ a fun thing.

Finally, _finally_, the minute was up and the referee began announcing the battle between me and Falkner. It was to be a two on two Pokemon battle. The challenger, I, allowed to switch out Pokemon while Falkner could not. Once the referee yelled out to begin, Falkner and I spared a moment to stare on another down, my meek attitude from before being forcefully replaced with my determined attitude.

We released our Pokemon at the same time, both of which stayed in the air.

It was to be my Hoothoot against his Pidgey. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I grinned.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventeen_

"Gust!"

"Dodge and follow up with Uproar." I commanded calmly, wincing slightly at the loud Uproar that Hoothoot began making after successfully dodging the Pidgey's attack. Across from me, Falkner frowned as he watched his Pokemon flap wildly in the air, trying to keep airborne, as it was affected by the sudden piercing noise. It was a mix between a screech and a shriek, blending together to make one very unpleasant yet effective Uproar, attacking a Pokémon's inner ear drum to not only cause pain, but confusion and a _really_ bad headache afterwards.

"Quick Attack!" Falkner had to yell out to be heard over Hoothoot, and even then he was heard just barely. I hissed in annoyance as Hoothoot was hit in its chest by the other pokemon, both of them crashing to the ground.

Despite the attack, Hoothoot kept up its own, continuing to use Uproar. I'd even say that it got even louder in its anger.

Much like myself, I saw Faulkner flinch at the noise, even going so far as to take a small step back, not that it did anything to help. Down beside me, Growlithe made a high pitch whining noise, something completely out of character, as it laid flat on it belly with its ears tight against its head, its two front paws covering them in its attempt to block out the noise. I felt a brief stab of pity for the Pokemon, but it was brushed away when the thought that this experience just might be what it needed to start going inside its Pokeball appeared.

But to think, we still had to wait another few minutes until Hoothoot stopped.

Pidgey wobbled back from Hoothoot, madly shaking its head as it did so. Hoothoot on the other hand appeared relatively fine besides a few ruffled feathers and some dirt clinging to it from the crash.

Seeing how I couldn't do anything until Uproar stopped, I allowed myself to take a breather, unclenching my hands that had at some point in the battle gripped onto the hem of my shirt. Wiping my sweaty palms against the side of my pants, I amused myself by watching Falkner slowly lose his cool.

Falkner tried yelling out to his Pokemon, though this time his commands went unheard, his voice drowned out by my Hoothoot. Frustrated, he appeared to snarl out something not to polite if my guesses were right, his stance irritated beyond belief. All that either of us could do at the moment was wait out my Pokémon's Uproar, something that Faulkner didn't like having to do. Go figure.

Pidgey, it seemed, couldn't hold out for that much longer. It had its eyes shut as it flapped its wings about wildly, hopping up into the air only to fall back to the ground in its attempt to get away from my Pokemon, its panicking getting the best of it. It looked to be squawking as well, though much like its Trainer, it sound was drowned out by Hoothoot.

Rubbing the side of my head at the beginning of a headache, I mentally made a note to use Uproar as a last resort move from now on; the noise being too much despite how many times I've heard during training. That or I could start wearing ear plugs whenever I battle with the Flying-Type.

Hoothoot began calming down about a minute later, but by then Falkner's Pidgey was lying on its side as it gasped for breath, worn out. My Pokemon gave a huff like noise as it fluffed up its feathers in seemingly distaste for the other Flying-Type. I spared a look at the blank looking Gym Leader, his eyes upon his Pokemon. Not long after, the referee called Hoothoot the winner of the first round, causing Hoothoot to coo at the fainted Pidgey almost lovingly, and the complete opposite of how it was acting a few moments before. I held no doubt that my Pokemon was silently mocking its fallen brethren.

Falkner returned his Pokemon and after sending me a dirty look ('_Which is _real_ mature of a Gym Leader'_ I thought sarcastically), and withdrew another Pokeball from his sleeve of all places. He silently released his second and last Pokemon, his glaring eyes burning into me. I avoided his gaze, not wanting to lose my sudden bout of confidence.

Hoothoot and I waited patiently for his Pokemon to become visible, ready for anything. When it finally did appear, I mentally sighed.

A Pidgeotto, the evolved form of Pidgey. Couldn't he at least go for a different species? I mean, really now?

I spent a few seconds mentally debating with myself on whether or not I wanted to switch out Pokemon, but in the end decided against it. After all, the more I could wear out the other Pokemon, the better and if his Pokemon _is_ able to defeat my Hoothoot, then I had another, fully healed Pokemon to rely on.

Content with my plan, I nodded towards the referee to show that he could start the next match. He did so quickly, naming off our two Pokemon and our names _again_, as if we might have forgotten in the short space of time. Then again, one never knows with a Gym Leader…

This time around, I started with the attack, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Hypnosis followed by Tackle." Just as Hoothoot's eyes began glowing red, Falkner yelled out for his Pokemon to take to the sky. I wrinkled my nose in displeasure as the move failed rather pitifully. I watched with steady eyes as Hoothoot took to the skies following after the larger Pokemon. In the air, the Pidgeotto was able to easily dodge my Pokémon's other attack much to its own displeasure. One thing I hate about Flying-Type battles; it's just so damn hard to land a hit!

"Gust then Quick Attack!" Falkner yelled out, a superior smirk on his face as he sent me a smug look. Instead of rising to the offered bait, I ordered my Pokemon to fly higher to dodge the gust of wind and Quick Attack. While able to dodge the Gust, Hoothoot was unable to get out of the way of the Quick Attack, being hit straight on by the Pidgeotto, sending it falling towards the ground. The hit had been powerful enough for it to briefly knock out my Pokemon.

Clenching my hands, I watched in shocked silence as my Pokemon got closer and closer to the ground, its circular body spinning as it went. Taking a sharp breath, I yelled out to my Pokemon the first thing that came to mind.

"Hoothoot, fly! Don't give in!" I knew my eyes were wide, my face showing my panic concerning the situation. "Hoothoot!"

Twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet till the ground and it finally opened its large eyes at my loud cry of its name. It immediately began flapping its wings once it realized what was going on, trying to stop its decent. Sadly, it started a bit too late, only able to soften its collide with the ground.

I waited with my breath held to see what became of my Pokemon, concerned despite myself. Falkner also waited to see what happened, back to being silent and apparently emotionless the ass. Up above us, Pidgeotto circled, staring down at us.

Then it happened; Hoothoot's body began to glow a pure white.

I grinned. We weren't out _just_ yet. If anything, the real battle was only just beginning.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighteen_

A silly grin appeared on my face as my eyes took in my Pokémon's new form. Where once stood a Hoothoot, now proudly stood an impressive looking Noctowl, easily able to rival Falkner's Pidgeotto in terms of height; I could even tell that my Pokemon towers over me from our current positions, my head coming up to its beak at the most, if even that.

My Noctowl let out a loud cry, spreading out its wings wide as it glared up at the still flying Pidgeotto. Without having me to say anything, it shot up into the air and attacked the other Pokemon from beneath it with Peck. Surprised at the sudden turn of events and attack, Falkner took too long in ordering his Pokemon to dodge, allowing Noctowl to hit Pidgeotto's underbelly with its much sharper beak.

Pay back for the Quick Attack no doubt.

Pidgeotto squawks in pain as it flapped its wings wildly, managing to get a few feet away from Noctowl. Falkner scowled as I smirked, our eyes meeting briefly before returning to our flying Pokemon.

"Quick Attack!"

"Dodge and Reflect!"

A tsk from Falkner.

"Whirlwind then Tackle!"

Noctowl took the Whirlwind head on, being able to keep its altitude through out it and met the other Pokémon's Tackle with one of its own.

"Peck!"

"Another Quick Attack!"

Both Pokemon did as they were told, heading to attack one another with their commanded moves. Falkner's hit first, though Noctowl was not too far behind, enduring the hard impact to deliver a few power stabs with its beak. Neither Pokemon were going to give in anytime soon.

I chewed on my lip as I tried to think of a way to end the battle in my favor, wiping my once again sweaty hands against my pants as I watched the air battle, both of the Pokemon attacking with all they were worth. I had to admit, watching the battle, it _was_ rather amazing and impressive.

We went back and forth in calling out our different attacks and the command to dodge each other's attacks. In a way, it seemed like a never ending circle. Some attacks hit, while a large majority of them missed thanks to the flexibility offered in the air. On more than one occasion Noctowl or Pidgeotto had simple dived down towards the ground to dodge an attack only to rapidly gain back their previous altitude for their counter-attack.

I had seriously thought that it would never end, but both of our Pokemon were starting to show signs of their exhaustion, their gathered wounds getting to them. Neither would last much longer at this rate.

Falkner seemed to realize it too, and appeared to resign himself to a possible loss unless he not only beat my Noctowl, but my second Pokemon as well. None the less, he continued to have his Pokemon fight, refusing to give up.

After a particularly hard Quick Attack that had Noctowl come several feet closer to the top of the Gym's roof, I bit my lip and rolled Noctowl's shrunken Pokeball in my palm, debating on the next course of action. Despite evolving earlier on, Noctowl was slowly beginning to lose against the Pidgeotto. Calling out for another attempt at Hypnosis, I scowled as the other Pokemon once again dodged the attack with the help of Quick Attack's speed.

That's it, time for a change of tactics.

"Noctowl!" I yelled out for it to hear me. It spared a moment to look at me when a command didn't follow, only to see me waving it down. We shared a meaningful look as I enlarged it's Pokeball. My Pokemon made a unimpressed noise, but made a dive bomb for me anyways. Pidgeotto simply watched, seemingly to know what was going on. Falkner gave me an blank look, his arms crossed over his chest.

Noctowl flew in place a few feet in front of me and I finally realized just how big my Pokemon is. As it finally landed, I took a moment to take in its new height. Noctowl was taller than me, as I had guessed it would be, with my head coming up to where its neck would be underneath its feathers. Its eyes were the same red, its talons longer and sharper, much more deadlier to match its beak.

My mind spent a minute in imagining how Rattata's going to react once my other Pokemon, besides Growlithe see how it's also looking over Noctowl, get a chance to meet the evolved form of Hoothoot.

Having already wasted enough time admiring my new Pokemon, I give the tired and bleeding Pokemon a nod as I return it. Placing Noctowl's Pokeball back on my belt, I then reach for my newest Pokémon's Pokeball and enlarge it. Without a second thought, I let out the Pokemon, aiming for the center of the battle field.

Letting out a soft cry as it shook its body, my pink and white furred Pokemon stood on its back legs, waving its tail behind it with the blue ball shape at the end held high to avoid hitting the ground.

Flaaffy looked over its new surrounds in a relaxed way, one of its paws coverings its mouth while the other swung back and forth at its side with nothing else better to do. Its quickly looked over Falkner before seeming to dismiss him as it looked up above it when Pidgeotto let out a cry of its own in its impatience to fight.

Flaaffy tiled its head as it watched the Flying-Type circle it, letting out a questioning noise, not in the least bit worried.

Falkner, ever the impatience one, yelled out for his Pokemon to use Whirlwind. I countered for Flaaffy to brace itself, it not able to dodge such an attack being stuck on the ground. Flaaffy looked vaguely surprised at the sudden attack, but did as I commanded and braced itself, though whether out of natural instinct or from actually listening to me remains unknown. Flaaffy slid back some, being hunched forward with its tail pressed against the ground in its attempt to keep from being knocked off its feet. When the attack ended, I wasted no time in commanding Flaaffy in using one of its own moves.

"Thunder Wave."

Shakings its head, sparks began to dance along its bright pink fur before being shot out after the hovering Pidgeotto who was unable to gain enough distance in time to dodge, resulting in betting hit. The bird Pokémon's movements became nothing more than forced jerks, Pidgeotto desperate to stay in the air, but obvious failing. Not much longer, the Flying-Type was forced to land in a spew of feathers, its breathing hard.

I swear that Flaaffy yawned to taunt it, the sadistic Pokemon.

I stared at Falkner, waiting to see it he would withdraw his paralyzed Pokemon or not. When he didn't, instead ordering it to use Gust (seems Pidgeotto wasn't the only one that Flaaffy had pissed off by yawning), I sighed and ordered Flaaffy to go ahead and use ThunderShock.

Between facing a newly evolved Hoothoot and becoming paralyzed, Pidgeotto didn't stand a chance against my Pokémon's attack, fainting after being zapped just hard enough to be knocked out.

I won my first Badge.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Nineteen_

I called my parents later that night after returning to the Pokemon Center and dropping off my Pokemon to be healed (or in Growlithe's case, have a bath after Nurse Joy offered once she saw his new 'look'). My mom had been the one to answer, a surprised look on her face when she realized that it was me who was calling. To be fair, I hadn't exactly called them once they had dropped me off in New Bark Town, to angry with them to bother thought I've had more than enough opportunities.

Her surprised expression didn't last long though, a annoyed one replacing it though there was also a bit of relief peeking through too.

"Why haven't you called up until now? Do you know how worried I've been this past _month_? I had begun thinking that you might have died! Your father hasn't been able to sit still for days because of you worrying us!" She took a moment's pause to take a deep breath and calling for my father. Not too long after, he had joined in with my mother in yelling at me about how worried they had been, my dad going on to say how he was _this_ close to calling the police to form a search party.

Through it all, I bowed my head in shame. My face flushed in embarrassment as I meekly took their tongue lashings, nodding and shaking my head when required.

Guilt ran though me, any anger that I had towards them disappearing when I saw how much I had made them worry after not calling them in over a month, the first month of my journey to boot which is by far the most dangerous for a new Trainer I'm told.

When my sister had first started her journey, she had called almost every other night when in a town, and called to let us know when she reached a new town so we would always know where she was. While the calls kept getting farther and farther in between as time went on, she still managed to call when she reached a new city or right before she would leave one, to let us know incase anything happened.

My parents finally started calming down close to ten minutes later, though their anger was still present. They just weren't yelling anymore. Before I could state my case in the matter, Nurse Joy called out my name. My parents apparently heard as well as my mother waved me off, silently telling me to go and find out what she wanted. I gave them a sheepish look and with a quite promise to hurry back, I quickly walked over to the front counter where Nurse Joy stood waiting with a kind smile (much unlike the Gym's reception's smile).

"Your Pokemon are done healing and all ready to go." She said as she slid over a tray that held five of my six pokeballs, Growlithe's on my belt still since he continues to refuse being inside it.

Speaking of Growlithe, it hopped up onto the counter, spared me a look, and hopped off the counter down on my side. It turned its head to the side, away from me, with its nose in the air.

I'm guessing that it's still mad about the park incident.

After thanking the Joy, I head back over to the center's phone where my parents were still waiting for me to return to finish our 'talk'. They seemed to perk up, though, when they caught sight of Growlithe trailing behind me. My dad even leaned forward in his attempt to get a better look at the Pokemon.

Once I got close enough to hear them without having to shout, the questions immediately started. In my parents haste to yell at me for not calling them, they hadn't been able to actually _ask_ about my journey.

"Is that Growlithe yours?"

"Where did you find it? Growlithe's aren't around New Bark Town, more commonly found outside of Ecruteak City."

"How long have you had it?"

"What other Pokemon do you have? You have caught other Pokemon, _right_?"

I covered my eyes with my hands, heaving a sigh as I wait for the questions to stop. When they do, I do my best to answer them without going into too much detail.

"Yes, the Growlithe is mine. It was given to me back in Cherrygrove City. I've have it for a few weeks now. Yes, I have other Pokemon, an entire team in fact. No, I have not been wasting my time, but have in fact been working on getting a strong team. I'm still aware of the terms, dad, no need to remind me. And for the sake of me and my Pokémon's sanity, _no_, I don't want a Pokemon from Stephanie. I'm doing fine on my own."

We stared at one another for a few short seconds, my parents processing all of my answers.

Down beside me Growlithe laid down and looked around the center with disinterested eyes, no other humans inside the main lobby at the moment to get it riled up.

"Ah…" My father was the first to speak. "Well, where are you at then?"

"Violet City." I answered back promptly. They once again both perked up, and before they had a chance to ask another round of questions, I spoke. "I've just beaten Falkner."

My dad got the silliest grin on his as he laughed joyfully. My mom on the other hand simply smiled and congratulated me on my first Gym victory.

"So when do I get my first item?" I asked for a change, my curiosity rearing up.

Mom tapped a finger against her chin as she thought our loud. "Well, I _was_ planning on giving it to you around your third Gym Badge, but seeing how this is the first time you called up," she gave me a pointed look, "I'll send it to you now. Seeing how you're in Violet City, the package should reach you in around three days from today." I wince slightly at that. In three days, I'll be over my free staying period in the Pokemon Center, having to pay if I was going to keep the room.

"Very well." I said, surrendering to the fact that I'd have to pay the Pokemon Center a few days for their room. "Where will I get it?"

"It should be dropped off to the Pokemon Center." Dad answered for a change. "As long as you stick around there, you should get it with no trouble."

I nod.

Mom leans forwards, a wicked smile on her face. "_So_," she drawled, "what other Pokemon do you got? Let's see this supposed team of yours."

I met her challenge with a smirk of my own, leaning my cheek against my palm. "What's the matter _mother_," I enunciation the last word slowly, "you don't believe that I caught a measly five Pokemon? That hurts." I mock pout.

Dad just laughs in the background, watching us with amusement, use to mom's and I's banter.

And people wonder where I get my attitude from.

**Author's Note**: So, I haven't asked for much from you all, my readers. I've asked for nothing, in fact, but I'm finally giving in.

A review or two would be nice every now and then, if only to know that people are actually reading this besides the ever so amazing **SparklySuu**. You don't even have to say much, a simple "Good joy" or "Such and such needs work" would be great.

Thanks, that's all ^^'


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty_

The next day I returned to Sprout Tower, a gleeful look on my face. Hopefully I'll run into that Monk again…

Stepping inside the building, I once again take in the swinging pillar, wonder filling me as I watch it sway back and forth. Blinking, I mentally shook my head as I by-passed the other people on the floor, heading for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, Growlithe right behind me, we reach the top in no time at all, barley out of breath thanks to my endurance build up after walking everywhere.

I looked around, trying to spot the Monk we had met last time, but no one was to be seen. Sighing, I headed for the second set of stairs, frowning. Even Growlithe lets out a small huff.

Maybe he's on the third floor…?

Half way across the room and I see Growlithe stop walking out of the corner of my eye, making me pause as well. I tilt my head as I watch my Pokemon turn and glare towards the stairs, my mind automatically guessing that there was another human coming up the stairs. I didn't pay it much attention, now use to my Pokémon's behavior when it came to such matters. Once Growlithe got a chance to look over the person, it'd continue on its way. So I continued walking towards the stairs, thought at a slightly slower rate then I previously was.

I would have continued on my way, too, if not for the voice calling out to me from behind.

"You _again_? Look, girl, how many times will I have to tell you that you need the Gym Badge from Falkner in order to pass the first floor?" I froze at the voice, my lip twitching as it threatened to curl back into a snarl at the way he'd addressed me. Controlling the urge, if only just, I slowly turned back around, a fierce glare pointed at the Monk that I had the _pleasure_ of running into last time I was here.

He looked between me and Growlithe, who was already growling away, bearing its teeth at the Monk as it got into a crouching form. Without a word from, I reach into one of my many pockets and pull out my Gym Badges Case, flipping it open for him to see quiet clearly that I did, in fact, have the first Badge. I raised an eyebrow at the silence that followed if you take away Growlithe.

The Monk cleared his throat, trying to hold on to his holier-than-thou look. "Very well then."

A short pause.

"If that's the case and you wish to partake in the Sprout Tower Challenge, then I shall be your first opponent. You will need to beat me in order to move on. At the top of the Tower is the Head Monk, and if you manage to beat him in a Pokemon Battle, then you shall receive a prize. If all of your Pokemon are defeated, though, you will need to start from the beginning and work your way back up. Do you wish to go through the Challenge?"

I tilted my head to the side as I gave him blank look, much like how Falkner had looked at me when I had won the battle. "Yes, I wish to go through with the challenge." I replied, mentally rolling my eyes at the formalness of it all.

Nodding, the Monk (let's call him Larry, as to not get him confused with the other Monks that I'd no doubt come across shortly) pulled out a Pokeball from his robe's sleeve. Enlarging it, he threw the red and white ball to release his Pokemon. Seeing how Growlithe was already out and ready, I decided to simply use it in the upcoming battle.

Once Larry's Pokemon became visible I gave it a blank look, the irony of the species coming to the for-front of my mind.

A Bellsprout in Sprout Tower. I should have seen it coming, honestly. I could only envision that the other Monks had such Pokemon as well.

Well, at least it should be an easy win for my Fire-Type…

"Sleep Powder!"

"Burn it away with Ember." I countered easily, an automatic move on my part thanks to all the time battling Bug-Type Pokemon lovers who equally loves using such attacks right off the bat.

Growlithe did as I said, spitting a mouth full of embers at the powder that the Bellsprout had spat towards it, resulting in the powder catching fire and burning out before it got to my Pokemon. It'd had its fair share of the move used on it before and now knew how to do such a thing with some time spent training.

"Poison Powder!"

"Again, Growlithe."

Another mouthful of embers, and the Poison Powder was also burned away.

"Stun Spore!" Larry yelled out in frustration, glaring at me all the while with a look that'd kill. I gave him a flat look in return, not impressed with him in the least.

"Another Ember, followed up with Flame Wheel." I commanded in an even tone, Growlithe doing as I said in an immediately.

As soon as the Stun Spore was burned away, it jumped into the air, spinning as it breathed out a breath of fire seemed to latch onto its body as it spun. When the flaming Pokemon landed, it charged the Bellsprout in a roll.

Talk about the ultimate summersault.

Bellsprout let out a panicked cry, trying to get out of the way of the flame spinning Pokemon, but Growlithe effortless turned ever so much to where the other Pokemon was running to and hit it full on the back, running over the Grass-Type.

Jumping up again into the air, the flames surrounding Growlithe stretched out around it until they went out just as my Pokemon landed. The three of us eyed the down Bellsprout, waiting to see if it would get back up, Larry yelling at it to do just that. When it became obvious that the Bellsprout was in fact down and out, Larry returned it in silence, placing the Pokeball in his sleeve (I silently wondered just _where_ the Pokeball was stored) and pulling out another from his other sleeve.

Rolling my eyes, Growlithe trotted back over towards me and sat beside me, silently signaling that it was no longer interested in battling if these were to be its opponents. Sending it an exasperated look, I didn't press the issue less we get into another fight while in front of Larry. Instead, I pulled off a Pokeball from my belt and enlarge it, clicking it open to release the Pokemon within.

Rattata shook its body and stretched. When it caught sight of Larry, it bared its teeth and hissed. Larry just sneered at my choice of Pokemon and released another Bellsprout.

Instead of letting him call out the first attack like last time, I spoke.

"Quick Attack into Hyper Fang."

One thing that I really like about Rattata is that as soon as the command leaves my mouth, it reacts without a second thought, doing as I say. This time was no different, my Pokemon using its speed from Quick Attack to charge at the other Pokemon. The end result was Rattata latched onto its body with Hyper Fang, making the Bellsprout cry out in pain as it tried to wiggle out of Rattata's hold.

"Release and Tail Whip." I commanded before Larry got a chance to order its Pokemon to use one of its status effective moves.

The wounded Bellsprout ended up falling backwards when hit by Rattata's tail, letting out a pained moan as it tried to stand back up. Rattata dashed back to me, skidding to a stop and turning around to face its opponent, ready for its next command.

I grinned at Larry that just _might_ have had a touch of sadistic in it around the edges. Maybe. Sort of.

Yeah, okay, so if had a lot; what can I say, it's fun seeing his face turn different colors.

Larry finally ordered a command when he saw my expression, his anger getting the better of him, as he told his Pokemon to use Growth then Vine Whip. I countered with Focus Energy then Pursuit.

Both Pokemon used their first set of moves at the same time, Bellsprout's leaves seeming to grow as it finally stood back up, while Rattata crouched as it eyed the Bellsprout, looking for a critical spot to hit.

"Now!"

"Go." Larry and I both ordered our Pokemon who didn't waste any time springing into action. Bellsprout lashed out with its vines, while Rattata began running, only to disappear and reappear behind the surprised Bellsprout, hitting it from behind and missing the vines aimed at it originally completely. Bellsprout tumbled to the ground, rolling to a stop a little ways away from Rattata, out cold.

With a grumble, Larry returned his fallen Pokemon and shot me another glare as he waved to the stairs, unable to stop me despite his wish to. I grinned at him, a mocking look in my eye as I praised Rattata on its battle before returning it, making the Pokemon puff up in pride as it sat up straight much like how Growlithe was sitting beside me, if only to add that much more annoyance for Larry.

Giving one last cheerful wave to the peeved Monk I headed towards the stairs, Growlithe at my heels as it sent one last growl towards Larry.

One the third floor, I was met with the sight of half a dozen men, all looking towards me and Growlithe. I blinked, not expecting to see so many Monks at once.

Unlike Larry, they all smiled warmly at me as I approached, the oldest looking man of the group even grinning at me around his white beard.

"Welcome, Trainer, to the third floor of Sprout Tower. If you wish to challenge the Elder, you will need to defeat the five of us in battle. Do you wish to proceed?" The Monk closest to me asked, his eyes twinkling with hidden mischief.

I nodded slowly, unable to find my voice at the moment as my mind yelled at me that these Monk's weren't all they seemed.

The Monk that spoke nodded back, his smile growing as he pulled out a Pokeball from his sleeve (I've given up on trying to figure out how they do that).

"Then I shall be your first opponent." He said as he enlarged his Pokeball, releasing his first Pokemon with practiced ease.

I shared a look with a surprisingly silent Growlithe. What had I gotten myself into now?

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to my four reviewers. Your guy's reviews just made my day. I had a silly grin on all day that started worry my friends after a while. Really, you four, thanks! This longer chapter is for you four, and I dare say that it was my longest, too ^^

And as for my ever constant reviewer, SparklySuu, you're just awesome x)


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty One_

I stared at the three Pokemon before me in mute shock, my voice failing me as I opened and shut it. Clearing my throat and swallowing, I raised my eyes away from the two Bellsprout's and one Weepinbell, looking back and forth between the three Monks who continued to smile at me.

"Wha…" I swallowed again, my mouth dry at the unexpected turn of events. "What's going on? I thought that these were going to be a one on one battle." I gave another glance at the three Pokemon who eyed me right back making me look back at the Monks.

The one who had originally spoken to me spoke again, his hand waving towards the three Pokemon where his Weepinbell sat in between the two Bellsprout's.

"Why, I thought that Chow would have told you; the Sprout Challenge is unlike other offered challenges in Johto." I silently curse Chow with every insult I knew, who is no doubt the Monk I dubbed as 'Larry'.

The bastard…

"While the first battle that you go up against was in fact one on one, that's not the case for the other battles until you reach the Head Monk, Li." His smile turned into a wide grin that rivaled that of the Had Monk 'Li'. "I guess you could say that at hits point in the challenge, you'll be facing a pyramid; first facing against me, as well as Nico," he nodded to his left, "and Jin." He nodded to his right. "If you manage to beat the three of our chosen Pokemon, then you will move onto facing Troy and Neal, who you will face in a double battle." The two Monks behind him nodded at me at their names.

"Then, and only then, will you be able to challenge Head Monk Li to a Pokemon battle for the offered prize." The Monk finished, his eyes twinkling with mischief. As an afterthought, he added, "My name is Edmond."

I resisted the urge to cover my face with my hands, my hands twitching none the less. I settled for rubbing the back of my head, giving one of my hands something to do as I tried to still my nerves. Giving a shaky smile to the Monks I nodded to show my acceptance.

"Alright. Nothing like a challenge, after all." I spoke weakly, trying to lighten my mood. Edmond, Nico, and Jin all nodded back in seemingly excitement, Jin even laughing as he agreed with me whole heartily.

"Please choose your three Pokemon. Be aware thought that this _is_ a three against three Pokemon battle, so if all three of your chosen Pokemon faint then you are out and have to start from the beginning again if you wish to retry. The three Pokemon before you are the Pokemon we are going to use, so if you wish to win you have to defeat them." Edmond explained for me, guessing correctly that this was my first Battle facing more than one Pokemon in a battle.

My mind began calculating at once, going through my list of Pokemon and trying to decide which would be the best choice for the battle. Growlithe was chosen straight away and I sent it a pointed look telling it as such.

Unlike the battle with Larry (I refuse to call him by his real name) where it lost interest after defeating one of his Bellsprouts, Growlithe now looked excited at the change of events and wasted no time in standing before me and staring down the Weepinbell, its custom growl appearing that had up until that point been missing.

With that out of the way, I ran my fingers over my remaining Pokeballs. My mind went through their known moves and their ranking level in the group that I've taken to creating mentally, all the possible outcomes flashing past as I brushed over each Pokeball. The Monks, thankfully, waited for me patiently so no pressure yet.

Not wanting to revel all of my Pokemon that have type advantages, yet not wanting to lose either, I pluck off Rattata's and Nidorino's Pokeballs and clicked them open to release my chosen Pokemon.

The two shook their bodies, Nidorino letting out a battle cry at spotting the three Grass and Poison-Types, Rattata soon to follow with its hissing. Rattata, thankfully, had not been injured in its battle with Larry's Bellsprout, and with Nidorino being a Poison-Type I wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about it becoming poisoned.

"Are you ready to start?" Jin, for a change, asked. I responded with a nod as I silently thought of possible strategies. It would be a hard battle, no doubt, but like hell was I going to go down without a fight. "Troy will be the referee of this battle then." He motioned to Troy as he and the other Monk's looked over my selected Pokemon.

Troy stepped forward in between us and after stating the type of battle, commanded for the battle to begin.

"Flame Wheel on center, Hyper Fang on left, Pack on right." I said as soon as Troy finished speaking and brought down his hands, my orders short yet precise enough for my Pokemon to know what move they were to use and on whom to use it against. The monks seemed vaguely surprised with me, but their surprise didn't stop them from countering.

"Dodge with Vine Whip then Stun Spore." Nico.

"Stop it with Acid." Edmond.

"Dodge and Vine Whip." Jin.

They seemed to all speak at once, over each another even, yet their Pokemon still heard them and began carrying out their orders. Rattata's opponent, one of the two Bellsprouts, used its vines to latch onto one of the beams above us and began pulling itself up while at the same time taking a deep breath to release a mouthful of Stun Spore. Weepinbell also took a breath, though its mouth full of a dangerous acid instead. Nidorino's opponent, the other Bellsprout, began moving to the side as it readied its vines to attack.

My head swam as I tried to think of something to say to get my various Pokemon out of harm's way yet land a hit on their targets. My mouth ended up moving on its own, my plan being spoken as I thought it.

"Rattata, follow with Pursuit, Growlithe, jump and use Ember, Nidorino, switch to Poison Sting." I said with my tone higher than usual, praying that my new plan would work as it's too late to try anything else.

Rattata was able to pull off the Pursuit, having followed the Bellsprout with its eyes up until that point. Appearing from behind, it quickly latched onto the surprised Pokemon with its teeth, making them swing in the air. Bellsprout yelled out in pain as it tried in vain to get Rattata off, Rattata just as determined to stay on.

With a nod, I quickly sought out Growlithe only to find it panting as it stood on the ground, the Weepinbell having a scorch mark on its front as it let out an anger filled cry towards my Pokemon. Giving it a quick order to keep on using Ember without putting itself in way of attacks, I looked over to see how my first ever Pokemon was doing.

Unable to stops its earlier charge, it looked as if it simply opened fire with Poison Sting while running. While able to hit the Bellsprout and doing a little damage, the attack had not poisoned the other Pokemon as I had hoped it would. My Pokemon, on the other hand, got hit with the Pokémon's Vine Whip in retaliation for the Poison Sting. Ordering a Horn Attack, Nidorino's newest move, followed by the continuous use of Poison Sting from afar, I switched my attention back to Rattata who was on back on the ground with the Bellsprout.

Filled with adrenaline, I tapped my fingers against my sides as I watched my Pokemon get lashed out at with Vine Whip, dodging it with its speed as it circled the annoyed Bellsprout, looking for an opening to attack as I had taught it to during training. With shaking hands, I ordered it to continue what it was doing and to use a Quick Attack whenever an opening presented itself. When I knew that my small Pokemon would be okay for the moment, I looked towards Growlithe and the Weepinbell.

The floor was slowly being covered in puddles of acid, making movement for my Pokemon difficult as Growlithe spat out mouthful after mouthful of embers, some hitting their mark while others missed, seeing out Weepinbell was able to dodge them without worry of being hurt by its own acid. Each mouthful of Embers was returned with a mouthful of acid from the other Pokemon, making my nerves rise. I could only be thankful that at the moment, Growlithe had been able to avoid the acid.

Running through my Pokémon's known moves, I commanded it to use Roar and a close attack of Ember, the closest it could get.

Letting out a roar that had all of the Pokemon out flinching, some even pausing to look over, Growlithe moved around the puddles of acid towards the frozen Weepinbell, fire gathering in its mouth all the while.

Much to my shocked amazement, my command for Growlithe to get as close to the Weepinbell as possible was taken quite literally, Growlithe tackling the other Pokemon to the floor and looming over it. Growlithe didn't hesitate in releasing its mouthful of hot ember, spitting them onto the Pokemon beneath it at point blank range. I winced at the Weepinbell's high pitched cries, the Pokemon flailing as the embers burned its body, some embers having even fallen into its open mouth. My Pokemon jumped off the burning Weepinbell harder than needed, landing to its side as it watched the Grass and Poison-Type wither in pain.

Sparing the Monks a look, I saw that they were in just as much shock as I was, Edmond's eyes wide and mouth open the slightest bit as he watched his Pokemon. Seeming to snap out of his daze, he quickly recalled his by then silent Pokemon, taking a step back without another word as he continued to stare at the Pokeball in his hand with a distressed look.

I felt my guilt rear up inside me as I was forcefully reminded that while I might not like, much less love, my Pokemon, there people who actually do, much like Edmond and the other Monks no doubt.

Swallowing and shaking myself mentally, I forced my eyes away from the defeated monk and focused back on the battle, trying to act like my Pokemon had not just in effect barbecued another Pokemon.

Ordering my Rattata, who had gotten wounded while I hadn't been looking, to use Leer, I had Growlithe go over and help Rattata with Bite. Looking over to a heavily breathing Nidorino, I order it to use another Peck, my Pokemon grunting but doing as I say after eyeing the just as heavily breathing Bellsprout who was _finally_ poisoned.

Nico and Jin had taken my example and got back into our battle. Nico ordered his Bellsprout, who was facing against Rattata and Growlithe, to try Sleep Powder but Growlithe burned it away much like it did with Larry's Bellsprout's attempt. With the sleep inducing powder out of the way, Rattata dashed in to deliver a final Hyper Fang, latching onto the Bellsprout's head. With a growl from Growlithe, the Bellsprout fainted, Nico quick to return it.

With a victorious cry, Rattata let go of the fallen Pokemon and stood proudly beside Growlithe, panting heavily and exhausted no doubt. Growlithe let out a huff and turned to watch the remainder of Nidorino's battle, ready to jump on if need be.

Nidorino, despite being hit head on with another Vine Whip, continued through the pain and rammed its horn into the sickly Bellsprout, sending it toppling back. Crying out in pain, the Bellsprout gave one last glare towards my Nidorino before completely collapsing, fainted. Jin silently returned his Pokemon, a smile still present on his face despite his loss.

Letting out a shaky laugh, I cover my face with my trembling hands, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. I had done it, I won my first three on three battle and while two of my three Pokemon were in no condition to do another such battle, they had won for me.

I made a mental note to add in more 'free' training, such training no doubt being the only thing to keep them from being beaten without me there to keep constant watch over their battle.

Edmond gave me a strained smile, thought I gave his huge props for being able to do even _that_. "Congratulations on your win. You will now be facing Troy and Neal." He paused as Jin and Nico traded places with Troy and Neal, Jin taking up Troy's place as referee.

While smiling at me, Neal and Troy also looked me over with caution, not going to underestimate me after my previous battle. Silently, they both withdrew Pokeballs and clicked them open to release their chosen Pokemon.

"If you will please choose your two Pokemon, we shall begin the second battle." Jin called out ever so helpfully once Neal's and Troy's Weepinbell's appeared, making me stare at them blankly. With a final silent pray to whoever would listen, I went about the process of choosing my next two Pokemon.

'_Next time my greed wants something, I'm going to tell it to stuff it.'_

**Author's Note**: I meant to get this out yesterday, but French and Biology took up all my time. Sorry about that.

Moving on, thanks to everyone that reviewed ^^ I especially want to thank one '**ShadowDragonAmor**' for giving me the wonderful idea to not only write out this battle, but on how to do it, as explained by Edmond. Yes, the 'pyramid' idea was his.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Two_

Collapsing on my bed back in the Pokemon Center, I let out an exhausted sigh. Who knew that Monks could be such good Trainer's? Rolling over on my side, I glance at my backpack, my prize from finally beating them tucked away inside it. A small victory on my part.

After beating Jin, Edmond, and Nico, my two chosen Pokemon had lost to Neal and Troy. Growlithe got hit by a Stun Spore early on while distracted, unable to react fast enough to get out of the way, much less burn through it. It had been easily defeated from there, making Nidorino the only one left against the two powerful Weepinbells. Without an obvious type advantage and with its Poison Sting doing little damage, my Nidorino was taken down just as quickly with the Weepinbell's double teaming efforts much to our mutual displeasure.

After healing them at the Pokemon Center, ignoring Larry's jabs on the way (that bastard), I headed off to my chosen training area. Finding some wild Bellsprouts, I called out all of my Pokemon and set them to work in challenging the wild Bellsprouts one on one without any instructions from me to see how they would fair.

Knowing what we were up against, I was determined to win after such a loss and my Pokemon were just as determined, even the ones that I had not called upon to battle. Rattata, much to my amusement, had wasted no time in telling the others what had happened from what I could hear and see, Growlithe giving head nods when looked at for confirmation by the others to see if what Rattata was saying was true. All of them, even the usually easy going and relaxed Flaaffy, were fired up and ready for the change of style in their training.

Nidorino and Growlithe were the most determined, being the two to actually lose. Poliwag, on the other hand, had the hardest time in the new training routine obviously given its type disadvantage. It had taken a few tries and a few intervenes on my part to correct its choice of move, but in the end I was proud to say that Poliwag at least got the hang of going up against a Pokemon that has a type advantage over it such as Grass. While not able to go up against the older Monks and win, I thought that it had a good chance against one of Larry's Bellsprouts.

We continued our training for the rest of the day and well into the night; myself even jumping in and working with some of them one-on-one to help with any problems. We had finally returned to the Pokemon Center, dirty and exhausted, with the sun long gone and the night being filled with the stars. The next morning, after having a quick breakfast and getting back my Pokemon from the Joy and, Growlithe and I headed straight for Sprout Tower determined to win this time around.

Getting past Larry was, much like last time, rather easy. This time around I used Poliwag and Flaaffy instead of Growlithe and Rattata. While Poliwag had some trouble starting out, it had managed to land a well aimed Hypnosis, after which using a series of Double Slaps until the Pokemon was defeated. For Flaaffy, its mixture of Tackles and ThunderShocks had the weak Bellsprout down and out in no time much to my vague surprise.

Wishing the furious Larry a cheerful goodbye, I headed up to the _real_ challenge.

Nico, Edmond, and Jin were all ready for me, having expected that I would be back to re-challenge them. Their chosen Pokemon were the same as the day before making me give the lightest of smiles as I nodded towards Growlithe and removed two of my Pokeballs. Letting out Rattata and Nidorino, I let my Pokemon fight as they wished; only intervening when absolutely required. This was their chance to put all of their training yesterday to the test after all.

Rattata's opponent was the first to fall that time around; allowing it to run over and help out Nidorino after Growlithe appeared to refuse its offer of help. With their combined efforts, the two were able to take down the other Bellsprout. Moving to stand a safe distance behind the last fighting Pokemon, we all watched the fight between Growlithe and Weepinbell, neither wanting to be the one to give in and lose.

It finally ended with Growlithe delivering a powerful Flame Wheel to the other Pokemon, knocking it back. Following up with a quick Ember, the Weepinbell was out.

The three Monks had nodded to me, and like last time Jin took up the job of referee for Troy. Recalling Rattata and Nidorino, I pulled off Noctowl's Pokeball and called it out to help Growlithe face off against the two Weepinbells. I was going all out.

The battle seemed to pass by much too fast, and before I knew it the two Weepinbells were knocked out, though not without getting their revenge. Growlithe's front left leg had been hit with an acid attack, making the leg virtually useless at the moment because of the pain, leaving Growlithe awkwardly standing, trying to balance without falling. Noctowl was grounded, having been hit by a rather nasty Vine Wipe to its wing, making it too painful to fly.

After Troy and Neal had returned their Pokemon, the Head Monk had stepped forward. In a low, kind voice he had first congratulated me on reaching this far on my second try, then going on to explain that our battle would be a two-on-two, one Pokemon at a time until one of us lost both Pokemon. Very straight forward and the kind of battle I'm use to.

My first try at battling against him, I had lost; plain and simple.

His first Pokemon had been a Victreebel, not that I was really surprised at this point. It would only figure that the Head Monk would have the final evolution of the Bellsprout species. While Growlithe had been able to do some damage in its condition, it had ultimately lost. I had then called out Nidorino as my second Pokemon. My Pokemon had been able to defeat the larger Pokemon, though not without receiving battle wounds in the process, having been caught by Sleep Powder.

The Head Monk's second Pokemon made me want to hit my head against something. He had a Noctowl, one that could easily rival mine in height.

While Nidorino had been able to land a hit of Poison Sting, it had not been enough to take down the bird Pokemon. With a quick Hypnosis on the other Noctowl's part, it had been easy pickings on Nidorino.

For the rest of the day, much like yesterday, my Pokemon and I had spent training well into the night. While one loss was bad, two losses in a row was just humiliating for my Pokemon, double for Growlithe and Nidorino since they were the ones to lose twice. They both ended up throwing everything they had into their training, neither willing to lose for a third time.

The next day, I headed for Sprout Tower for the fourth time, Growlithe strutting right beside me.

Easily passing Larry, we spent a few minutes fighting Edmond, Jin, and Nico, a couple minutes longer in our fight against Troy and Neal, and finally came face to face with the Head Monk again.

Having returned my proud, newly evolved Raticate, I sent out Growlithe to once again meet Victreebel in battle. With a few distracting Embers on my Pokémon's part, it had been able to sneak in close to get in a Bite as well as a point-blank-range Flame Wheel that had burned through the cloud of Sleeping Powder. With Victreebel out with minimum damage done to my Pokemon, the Head Monk had sent out his Noctowl. Prepared for this, I had sent Growlithe orders to wear it out with a mixture of Leer, Roar, and Ember.

Growlithe was able to do a fair amount of damage until it was hit with the Noctowl's Hypnosis, forcing me to recall it (in its Pokeball, might I add). Knowing that this might have come, I had reached calmly for my second Pokeball, releasing my own Noctowl. The two had appeared to size each other up, eyeing each other for barley a few second until my Noctowl let out a mocking coo as it turned its head to the side, effetely saying in human mannerisms that it was better than the Head Monks Noctowl. Letting out a sigh and rolling my eyes at my Pokémon's behavior, I nodded towards Troy, who was acting as the referee, to start the match.

The match had resembled that of the one with Falkner, both Pokemon taking to the sky to fight. While the other Noctowl was clearly more experienced, my own Noctowl refused to give in and lose the match. Who knew that one's pride actually helps in some cases.

The fight itself, I'll have to admit, was rather amazing to watch. There was something about seeing a fight take place in the open sky that captures my attention, despite them being Pokemon. The fight lasted much longer than previous battles against the Monks, both Pokemon knowing that their battle would determine the final outcome. It got to the point where both the Head Monk and I stopped giving orders to our Pokemon, allowing them to instead fight it out on their own.

I had only just begun to think that the battle would never end when my Noctowl managed a hit on the other Noctowl's wing from beneath, bending it to a awkward angle that was anything _but_ okay. The Pokemon fell to the ground, but before it could hit the Head Monk returned it to save it from further injuring its wing.

My Noctowl seemed to glide back down, cooing at me almost lovingly as it landed right in front of me. On such a high from winning against the Head Monk, I didn't think as I reached out with my hands to rub the sides of my Pokémon's face as I praised it on its glorious battle. A laugh brought me back to my surroundings, making my hands drop as I hastily recalled my smug looking Pokemon back into its Pokeball.

Collecting my prize ( a TM with Flash on it, something that is apparently rather expensive), I spent the next few minutes talking with the six Monks, accepting an offer of theirs before returning back to the Pokemon Center, giving Larry an arrogant look on my way.

At the moment, my Pokemon were being healed by Nurse Joy to prepare for tonight's active. After winning against Li, the Head Monk who had been kind enough to tell me his name, I had been invited to come back after hours to try my hand at battling against Gastly's that liked to come around during the night. Only the Trainers that had been able to beat them were invited back, something that was apparently getting harder and harder for beginner Trainer's as they were common to simply not re-challenge them like I had over and over again.

After the Elite Four had them all change their rules in regards to Trainer's, the Monks had taken the sudden change as a challenge to get stronger seeing how they would now be challenged by Trainer's who managed to win against Falkner.

And train they did.

For years, the Monks had not allowed Trainer's into Sprout Tower after hours, the Gastly that appear being seen as to dangerous to young Trainer's to deal with properly. Now, though, they opened the tower's doors to Trainers who managed to defeat them all, allowing them the chance to train against the offered Ghost-Type's. As extra safety precautions, a few of the older and more experienced Monk's stayed on the premise, offering their assistance if a Trainer were to find themselves in a dangerous situation with the ghosts. While not the strongest of Pokemon, the Gastly's were still up there on the power scale when it come to young Trainer's.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I sighed seeing how I stilled had a few hours to wait. And to think, I didn't even have Growlithe around to torture with small children for amusement.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the longer than usual wait. Lab reports for Bio are _not_ a fun thing to write, but the good news is that I'm finished with it and can now get back to writing my little story here ^-^ Sorry if you found this chapter a little on the boring side; the next chapter should be more exciting. We're going Ghost Hunting! =D


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Three_

I had to admit, the Sprout Tower was a lot creeper at night than during the day. Giving the building another look over, I moved towards the front doors which were closed for a change. Down beside me walked my moody Growlithe, none too pleased with me for having returned it earlier that day during the battle despite my argument that it had had to be returned after getting hit with Noctowl's Hypnosis. Stubborn Pokemon.

Getting closer to the door, I was greeted with the Monk Jin with his ever constant smile.

"Good evening, Sandra. So glad you could make it."

I respond with a tentative smile of my own and a head nod unable to find my voice. Of all the Monks, Jin made me the most nervous for some strange reason. He just rubbed me the wrong way if that made any sense.

"Glad to hear it. Now, I will be staying on the first floor, so if anything were to happen, you can find me there. You may go in whenever you are ready." He opened the door for me as he finished his sentence, walking in before me with a nod. I wasted no time in following, Growlithe at my heels with its head lowered in its form of a pout.

Shutting the door behind me as quietly as I could, I gave a final nod and smile towards Jin before heading to the set of stairs. I moved as quickly as I could without outright running, not wanting to have him ask any unpleasant questions yet wanting to get away as fast as possible.

Reaching the second floor, the first thing that I noticed was that the lights were dimmer; barley even there, really. It was to the point where one could only just make out the walls surrounding the room, the center of the room virtually bitch black with the noise that the swinging pillar made as it moved only adding to the eerie effect.

Sending a look at my suddenly alert Pokemon, I took a hesitant step along the wall, my hand running along it as I walked ever so slowly. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I distracted myself with going over my plan for the evening. A few steps into the room, I nodded to myself as I reached for one of my Pokeballs. Clicking it open ahead of me, I greeted Flaaffy with a tense smile as it waved its tail in its own greeting.

Crouching down I motion my two Pokemon towards me. Where they were close enough for my liking, both as tall as me in my current position, I spoke to them in a soft voice, nearly a whisper. Don't want the Ghost-Pokemon overhearing after all, I thought with a weary grin.

"Growlithe, whenever you think that you see a ghost, use Odor Sleuth on it. Flaaffy, you're to use Thunder Wave right after, okay?" They both gave their own forms of agreement, Growlithe a bit more reluctantly that Flaaffy. I had a feeling that it would be a while until my Pokemon forgave me.

Flaaffy took the lead, its tail lighting up with the move Flash just bright enough for me able to take a step away from the wall without feeling like I was going to be consumed by the darkness. Growlithe remained a little ways behind me to ward off any Pokemon that might have tried to sneak up from that direction. I spared a brief moment to pat myself on the back for thinking to teach Flaaffy the move before leaving, though the move could defiantly use some more practice.

Feeling slightly more confident with my two Pokemon out, my steps became less timid and more firm as I followed after my glowing Pokemon. I _was_ amused to see small Rattata's running along the edge of the light provided by Flaaffy's tail, having not expected to see them here of all places. One even tried to get a closer look at us. It took a few steps closer than the other Rattata's, but before it could get any closer Growlithe scared it away with a burst of Embers, sending it running with a squeak.

It didn't take us long to reach the center of the room, the swinging pillar looking rather sinister in the small amount of light. The creaking noise that it made didn't help all that much either.

With my back facing the pillar, we went about the tedious task of waiting for a Ghost-Pokemon to appear. Letting my eyes roam over my surrounding, I tried in vain to make out any movements that would give away the presence of a Gastly. Unable to find any, I wrinkled my nose in vague annoyance. Instead of acting on my annoyance I tried to amuse myself in trying to remember a saying that one of my friends had loved to say. Giving a hum, I closed my eyes in an attempt to picture him saying it.

I grinned to myself as I snapped my fingers in victory. Giving another look over my surrounds to make sure nothing had changed I slowly spoke with my eyes half lidded.

"One bright day in the middle of the night, two dead boys stood up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, pulled out swords and shot each other. A deaf police man who heard the noise, ran right over and shot the two dead boys. If you don't find this story true, ask the blind man; he saw it too."

Growlithe gave me an un-amused look, seeming to silently ask if I had finally gone crazy. I childishly stuck out my tongue at it, still giddy for having remembered the weird saying. My friend would be so proud; he'd been trying to get me to remember that for a while now.

A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, ruining my previous good mood. Growlithe followed my line of sight, growling when it spotted what had caught my eye. My Fire-Type took a step forward, the air around it seeming to shift as it stared down what looked to be a moving ball of gas with a face stuck on it. I narrowed my eyes at the Gastly, giving a pointed look at my dozing Flaaffy. Grumbling a bit to itself, my other Pokemon stood up from its sitting position (when did it sit down…?), static dancing along its fur as it glared at the now clearly present Gastly who was in a glare off of its own with Growlithe. With a huff, Flaaffy sent its gathered charge of electricity towards the offending Pokemon, shocking it both literally and figuratively. The Gastly let out a pained cry as it was paralyzed, trying to get away from me and my Pokemon, but failing.

Flaaffy gave me one of its own pointed looks, making me wave it off as I ordered Growlithe to use another Ember as I reached for an empty Pokeball. Pulling out one with a different design than the normal red and white Pokeball, I enlarged the Dusk Ball and was just about to throw it when reinforcements came for the paralyzed and wounded Gastly.

Two come up out of the floor base, one from the ceiling, and another two from the side, making a total of six different Gastly including the one we had been just battling. In short, five pissed off and protective Ghost-Types and one wounded Ghost wanting retribution. Crap.

Gulping, I took a hesitant step back as I slowly reached for another of my Pokémon's Pokeball on my belt. This had just gotten much more dangerous.

Growlithe let out a violate Roar as it quickly moved onto using Odor Sleuth, targeting the Gastly one by one. Flaaffy, thankfully realizing the change in the situation, gave up its attempt in sleeping as it once again went about gathering static, glaring at the many Gastly's for interrupting its sleep.

I clicked open Noctowl's Pokeball, releasing it to help in holding off the wild Gastly, quickly replacing it back on my belt as I reached for another Pokeball. I had no idea just how strong these Pokemon were, so I was not taking any chances. Letting out Nidorino as well as Raticate, Poliwag still not strong enough in my mind to battle such a Pokemon as Gastly, I gave the simple command for them to select an opponent and defeat them by any means necessary.

With Growlithe having use Odor Sleuth on them all, I didn't have to worry about the Gastly simply disappearing for a while, making my nerves calm just the slightest.

My five Pokemon split up, each taking on a different Gastly and engaging it in a battle. I kept Flaaffy close to me, having it shock its two opponents (one of which being the first Gastly that appeared) repeatedly to where neither could move much and were left barely floating in the air as they both glared at my smug Pokemon. Serves them right for ganging up on us.

I wasted no time in throwing two empty Dusk Balls at the two Gastly's, finding it easier to simply catch both than having to worry about them coming back to haunt me, quite literally. Dusk balls, while not exactly cheep were thankfully not nearly as expensive as other Pokeballs, such as Ultra Balls, so I had indulged myself in buying a handful for tonight's activity given the circumstances. I was now grateful in my decision to do so.

The two Dusk Balls shook violently, neither Pokemon wanting to be captured, but they both clicked shut in the end. I spared a moment to wonder why they had not both disappeared into my Pokemon Storage like I had seen other Trainer's do seeing how I already had out six Pokemon. I pushed the thought to the side, resolving to ask Nurse Joy about it in the morning as I hastily walked over to pick my two new Pokémon's Pokeballs. Placing them in one of my pants pockets seeing how my belt had no more room for them, I looked over to see how my other Pokemon were faring in their battles.

Growlithe was unsurprisingly doing well in its battle, attack with constant Bites, wearing down the Gastly quickly. Nidorino was having a little bit of trouble given its disadvantage, but was making up for it well by annoying the Gastly enough with Poison Sting to the point where it would come down for a physical attack only to be countered with Peck or Horn Attack, Nidorino repeating the process again and again. Noctowl, on the other hand, took turns in chasing after its Gastly through the air and being chased by it.

From my point of view, it looked more like a game between the two of them than an actual battle.

Raticate danced around its Gastly opponent, striking out with a Hyper Fang at times as well as Bite. I was actually surprised to find it doing so well, having thought that it'd have the most trouble giving it being a Normal-Type.

It wasn't long before Growlithe's opponent gave up and ran away, sinking back into the floor board with a final half-hearted glare, leaving only three of the original six left.

I sent Growlithe over to help out Nidorino, Raticate proving that it was more than capable to take care of itself. Nidorino huffed in vague annoyance at the added help, but accepted it none the less. Noctowl was still in a never ending chase with its Gastly opponent, much to my vague amusement. It seemed as if Noctowl found a new friend.

Raticate's Gastly was the next to run off, having received one Hyper Fang to many. Raticate preened under my amused look, sitting up straight on its back legs as it clicked its large teeth. Nidorino's and Growlithe's Gastly was close to follow, not even bothering in glaring as it quickly fled up through the ceiling. All that was left was Noctowl's Gastly, who were _still_ chasing one another, the Gastly crackling madly as it and Noctowl seemingly danced in the air around one another. The rest of my Pokemon and I watched them for a moment, Flaaffy even going so far as to dance along in its own way (i.e.: waving its tail back and forth as it cried out happily).

Shaking my head to hide my smile, I called over Noctowl and the last remaining Gastly, giving them an entertained look. Folding my arms across my chest, I tilted my head.

"I wasn't aware that 'defeating your opponent by any means necessary' meant playing with them in the air."

Noctowl ruffled its feathers as it looked away from me, letting out a composed trill while the Gastly bobbed in the air, letting out a crackle of a laugh here and there as it looked me and my Pokemon over with a criticizing eye. I resisted the urge to shiver under the unexpected intense stare, rubbing my arm without thinking as I focused my gaze on Noctowl instead.

"Well, I think that this was enough training for tonight. Time to go…" I trailed off when the Gastly floated closer to me, a little too close for my liking. Raticate, my ever faithful Pokemon, dashed in front of me and hissed at the Ghost-Type, bearing its new and improved fangs at it.

Instead of being put off like I would have liked, the Gastly gave an amused look at my Pokemon, a sinister laugh coming out of its mouth. I couldn't resist the shiver this time around, that particular laugh being too much for me to handle.

Noctowl took a few waddling steps closer, giving a sharp trill at the Gastly, giving it a pointed look as Flaaffy took its own step closer to me, grabbing hold of my pants leg and hiding half behind me. I couldn't bring myself to mind at the moment, much too concerned with the Gastly before me.

Growlithe and Nidorino began talking with one another, both eyeing the Gastly as well as Noctowl. Raticate added in its two cents here and there, though for the most part stayed out of it, continuing to stand protectively in front of me. I really should be a little nicer to it…

After a lengthy conversation that looked to have turned into a heated debate of some kind half way through between the gather Pokemon, minus Flaaffy who remained half behind me, they seemed to come to an agreement. Eyeing them all with suspicious eyes, I silently asked my Pokemon just _what_ they had decided without me even though I knew I would not be able to understand them.

You would think that with today's technology someone, somewhere, would create a Pokemon translator. Unless that had and I just haven't come across someone who happens to own one…

Filing that thought away to look up later, I got back to the matter at hand. Raticate, being the only present Pokemon with paw-like-hands besides Flaaffy, motioned me to come closer. Curious with where this was going, I did as my Pokemon asked of me and bent down, tilting my head to the side to show that I was listening. Raticate began chattering away uselessly, motioning with its paws to first Gastly, to itself next, then to the Pokeballs resting on my belt.

Giving my rat pokemon a blank look, it gave a sigh like noise as it slowly pointed to its Pokeball, then to the Gastly. It repeated this motion a few more times until it clicked inside my mind just _what_ it was trying to say to me.

Jerking back, I stared wide eyed at the grinning Gastly who was amusing itself by floating around Noctowl, letting out seemingly random crackles.

"Wait, you can't possibly mean that this Gastly wants to be _captured_!" I was met with Raticate, Growlithe, Nidorino, and even Noctowl nodding, said Gastly acting oblivious to our on goings.

Letting myself fall back on my bottom, I crossed my legs and rubbed my temples. Who ever heard of a Trainer's _Pokemon_ wishing to add another Pokemon onto the team.

Not wanting a headache by trying to figure it all out, I silently reaching into one of my cargo pants pockets and pull out an empty, regular, red and white Pokeball. Enlarging it, I point it at the now alert Gastly who drifted over with a curious expression. It pressed its face against the Pokeball, making my hand grow goose bumps as the Gastly came in contact with it. Without a word, The Gastly was sucked into the Pokeball, it clicking without a struggle.

Placing it with my other two caught Gastly, I silently wondered what I was going to do with not one but _three_ Ghost-Types.

Talk about a fun night.

**Author's Note**: Wow, this chapter was much longer than I expected, but I really didn't want to split it up into two different chapters. As such, this is my longest chapter to date, going way over my two thousand word limit that I try to maintain. ~Sighs~ It looking as if my chapters keep getting longer and longer, which I guess can be seen as both good and bad. Good because they are longer, bad because they take longer to write out.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Four_

Despite wanting nothing more than heading up to my room and crash, I instead headed towards the front desk and ringed the bell to call out Nurse Joy. I rather get the whole mess of having more than six Pokemon with me done and over with before it becomes an unneeded problem.

It took a few minutes and another couple bell rings before Nurse Joy finally showed up, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. Blinking groggily at me, she attempted to smile but gave up soon after. I gave her a guilty smile for having waked her up so late at night, to which she waved off as she gave her face a final rub.

"Back from Sprout Tower I see. Your Pokemon didn't get hurt too much I hope." She said as if being woken up in the dead of night was a normal thing for her as she placed one of the Pokeball holding trays on the counter for me. I had to give her props; she makes a great nurse.

I shake my head as I place the six Pokeballs around my waist into separate holding wells of the tray. I motion for Growlithe to jump up onto the counter, both of us well use to this sort of thing by now. Growlithe jumped up without having to be told twice, sitting up straight and proud on the counter. At least it was no longer pouting.

"No, nothing like that." I answered her earlier comment. "They did quite well against the Gastly's, actually. What I'm _really_ here to talk to you about is this…" I trail off as I pull out the two Dusk Balls and one regular Pokeball from my pants pocket, placing them on the counter carefully so they wouldn't roll off. "I caught three Gastlys you see, but their Pokeballs didn't automatically go into my storage like I've seen other Trainer's do even though I'm already carrying around a team of six. I wanted to know if this is normal or if something might not be working correctly."

Nurse Joy gave the three Gastly's Pokeballs a confused look, her nose light wrinkled as she thought of a possible answer.

"Might I take a look at your Pokedex?" She asked, now looking at me with her curious gaze.

It was my turn to look confused, tilting my head to the side lightly as I blink at her.

"I don't have a Pokedex. I never received one." I answered slowly, silently wondering where she got the idea that I owned one from.

There was a moment's pause between us, I not knowing what else to say while she looked more confused than ever with a touch of shock added in the mix.

"You… don't have a Pokedex?" She asked just as slowly, her tone that of disbelief.

I mutely shook my head negatively, my eyebrows furrowed.

Another pause between us. This time I'm the one to break it.

"Is it uncommon for a Trainer to not own one…?"

The Joy blinked a few times, coming out from her mind and back to the present. "Hmm? Oh, it's not that it's uncommon. There are quite a few who don't though; because the Trainer has to pay for one usually, most parents don't like buying them for ten year old as they cost a fair sum of money. I've seen most Trainers get one after their first year of travel, if they are lucky. I just thought would own one given your age, so I was surprised."

"Ah. That makes sense I guess." I made a mental note to check out Pokedex's. "So, does not having a Pokedex make a difference when it comes to catching another Pokemon when already carrying around six?"

"Yes, actually. When a Trainer has as Pokedex, it not only records all of the Pokemon that you see or capture, but keeps track of your Pokemon inside your storage as well as the one's that you're carrying around. This is done automatically, so when the Pokedex records you catching another Pokemon when already carrying the legal amount of six it sends the newly caught Pokemon into an open space inside your storage which you can access through your Trainer I.D and password from any Pokemon Center. Don't ask me how the Pokedex is able to do such a thing, as even I don't quite understand that. Too much technology for me to get, really."

Looking up Pokedex's raised up on my list of things-to-do a few numbers.

I thanked her as she took my Pokemon off to be healed. Not likely able to get any sleep any time soon, I headed off over to the computer that doubles as a Trainer's Storage. A machine was hooked up to it so that one could deposit and withdraw one's Pokemon easily. Sitting down in front of the monitor, I turn it on and wait for it to load, drumming my fingers on the table.

Growing bored, I pull out my wallet and take out my Trainer Card, having not memorized my I.D. number yet. When the computer was finally well and ready, I type in my Trainer number, scowling at the length of the twelve digit number. You'd think that they would make them shorter, or at least more creative for easily remembrance.

When it came to entering the password, I frowned as I tried to remember what my mother had told me. Something about needing to set the password…? Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to bother Nurse Joy again, I tried logging in with just my Trainer I.D. number hoping that it'd work until I got a chance to call up my parents again.

To my relief, I was able to log in. The first thing that I was asked to do was to set a password, my mother's vague words making sense. Mulling it over for a second, I just went with my favorite color, neon blue. I could always change it when I was more awake after all.

With that out of the way, I spent the next few minutes exploring, finding out which button does what and which link leads to where. The system wasn't all that hard to figure out; it _is_ designed with ten year olds in mind after all.

Depositing my three new Gastlys, I logged off my account and turned off the computer. Standing up with a stretch, I waved goodnight to the Joy as I head up to my room to finally get some sleep. Oh bed, how I have missed you.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning I was met with the pleasant surprise of Nurse Joy giving me a package that had just been delivered in my name while collecting my Pokemon. Looking it over I spotted my home address, confirming my suspicions about who it was from.

"'Bout time it got here." I spoke more to myself than Growlithe, taking a seat in one of the offered chairs in the lobby. Ripping off the brown paper covering my 'present', I blinked in shock at the item in my hands.

A Pokegear. My parents had gotten me a blue Pokegear and knowing my parents, had all of the functions offered as well. Curious, I flipped it open and powered it up. It didn't take nearly as long to load as the PC, the welcome sign appearing on the screen shortly after clicking it on. Much like advertized, one could not only call others, but also have access to a map of the region that pinpointed one's position as well as given a more detailed map of city's and routes. Add on the optional radio and a Trainer could be amused for hours. Grinning, I allowed myself to become just that. My parents might have as well given me a new toy.

I was really getting into it, adding in my friends numbers to my contact list while mouthing along to a song on the radio, when I was 'rudely' brought out of my happy world. Looking up from my Pokegear and towards Growlithe, the one to have nudged me, I sent it a questioning look.

Glaring at me, it motioned its head to the Pokemon Center's doors, silently saying that it wanted to leave. Rolling my eyes at my impatient Pokemon, I slowly get up, cracking my back from having sat hunched over for so long. Turning off the radio on my new Pokegear (the thought alone made me grin) I walked over to the front desk and signed out, returning my room key after paying the required fee for having stayed longer than the free seven days.

Sending the ever helpful Nurse Joy one last wave goodbye, I secured my backpack on my shoulder and head out, Growlithe trailing after me at a steady pace. Next stop: Bloomingvale then Azalea, and hopefully my next Badge while I was at it.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the long wait. My internet has been down, so I have to use a friend's computer. Until I can get it back up again, there might be a few days wait in between chapters. I'll be trying to get it back up and running as soon as possible!


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Five_

It's easy to forget the roughness of open travels after staying in such a nice city as Violet City. Having been on the road for only an hour's time, I stared up above me and watched the creeping in dark clouds.

Giving them another quick look, I curse myself for never thinking to buy an umbrella and pick up my pace just that much faster. Growlithe trotted along ahead of me, much like me in regards to eyeing the incoming storm clouds, and its fur ruffled just the slightest bit.

Pulling out my new Pokegear from my pants pocket, I checked the devices map, trying to find shelter _before_ the storm hit us. I wrinkled my nose when I found that the closest place from me, beside Violet City, was a place called Ruins of Alph at about a half mile away from my current position. So either turn back around and hope that I can out run the storm, or wonder around and look for a 'natural' place to hide from the rain, or continue on and seek shelter in a possibly run down place that might or might not offer protection from the elements.

Some _great_ choices I have.

Heaving a sigh, I put away my Pokegear after looking over the map one last time. Adjusting my backpack to where I was gripping onto the shoulder straps, I started a light jog. Growlithe gave me a curious look when I passed by it, my Pokemon quick in taking my lead and starting to jog with me, staying beside me this time around.

It didn't take as long as I thought it would to reach the point where I could make out the top of the ruins. Slowing my jog back to a steady walking speed, I sling my backpack off one shoulder so I could get better access to it. Pulling out my reusable water bottle, I took a long drink of the water before replacing it back into my backpack.

I have to admit, the Ruins of Alph wasn't nearly in as bad of shape as I thought it would be. The ruins themselves still stood upright for the most part. A flash of lightning followed shortly by a crack of thunder had both me and Growlithe giving the sky wide eyed looks. Sharing a look with my Pokemon, I headed to the nearest ruin. Spending a moment looking for the entrance, I dashed inside once found, Growlithe close behind.

Setting my bag down up against the wall but well away from the entrance, I head back out after giving Growlithe the order to keep watch over my things. Letting out Raticate, I took the chance to gather wood from the surrounding forest before the rain began falling. Ordering Raticate to go out and find some of the larger branches, I head off and gather a good arm full of wood as well as twigs for starters. Meeting Raticate back at the Ruin opening, I nod inside it and drop off my arm full only to head out to get more. Raticate takes my lead and drops off its own larger piece of wood, what looks to have been part of a tree branch, and heads back out after me.

On my third drop off, the rain started falling. Soon after that, the light sprinkle turned into a heavy downpour. Thanking Raticate, I returned it and went about setting up a small fireplace a little bit in front of my bag; close enough for me to feel it yet far enough away to where I would have to worry about being too close. Having Growlithe use Ember, I gave a pleased sigh as I warmed my hands in front of the growing fire.

Sitting down next to my bag, I stretch out my arms, small scratched along my inner arm from carry the wood. Growlithe plopped down on the other side of my bag, its head resting on top of its crossed paws as it dozed off in the warmth of the fire. Giving my Pokemon a flat look, I hold my tongue and instead unzip my backpack, shifting through it in search of my sweatshirt. Yelling at myself mentally for not thinking of taking it out earlier, I waste no time in putting it on once found and zipping it up to my neck while tugging on my hood to keep my head and ears warm. Weird how it's always your _ears_ that seem to get the coldest in low temperatures; well, you're ears and your nose.

Bring my knees up to my chest, I bury my face and wrap my arms around my head. At least I was warm and out of the rain, I told myself in an attempt to think positive. Before I knew it, I nodded off, the thunder and falling rain becoming nothing more than the background noise that soothed me into my sleep.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I jerked out of my sleep to Growlithe's growling. Lifting my head, I wiped my eyes with my hands, a whimpering noise having my look towards the entrance. Blinking owlishly at the young boy that stood just inside the opening, shaking like a leaf with wet clothes on no doubt, I silently wonder what it was with all the young Trainer's finding _me_ when in such conditions. First there was the girl from the forest (I couldn't even remember her name) who complained of hunger, and now this boy who looked close to tears.

"That's enough for the moment, Growlithe. You know what to do if he tries anything though." I speak low enough for just my Pokemon to hear as I slowly stood, popping my back along the way. "Hello there. Who might you be?" I ask as nicely as I could, not wanting to frighten the boy more than he already was. I really didn't want to deal with a crying child. Never have been good with crying people.

"Na-Nat-han." He shivered out, staring at me with large eyes, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he scooted closer to my dying fire.

I give him a warm smile, not nearly as forced as it would have been otherwise. The kid was cute, I'd give him that. "That's a very nice name, Nathan. I have a friend who has the same one, though he hates it. Refuses to go by it as a matter of fact. My name on the other hand is Sandra and it's a pleasure to meet you." He returns my smile hesitantly, looking down at the ground. I take it as a chance to give him a look over, confirming my thoughts of him being young; being no older than ten with only had four Pokeballs upon his belt adding in his wet clothes, he make a pathetic site.

"Why don't you come over and get warm, Nathan? You look like you could use it." I motion back over to my low fire. Taking a hesitant step at first, he hurried over when I added on another few pieces of wood, squatting down next to fire and holding out his shaking hands. Giving him another pitying smile, I sit back down in my original spot next to my bag. Growlithe gave me a pointed look before turning its head off to the side, ignoring us humans.

Rolling my eyes at my Pokemon, I pulled out my Pokegear to check the time. An hour had passed.

I put it back inside my pocket and lean back against the wall, resisting the urge to yawn. Across from me Nathan was pulling off his jacket, his backpack already beside him. Shaking his head in a child's attempt to get rid of the water, Nathan rubbed at his hair through a sneeze. Frowning, I unzip my backpack once again and rummage through it. Finding what I needed, I reached over the fire and offered him a hand towel. He took it with a thankful smile, wiping the water off his face and arms.

"I'm sorry I can't help more, but I never planned on it raining like this."

He shook his head once again, his posture a little more relaxed that before. "This is more than enough. Thanks."

Huh, a kid with manners. I was starting to like him or at the very least tolerate him.

"You are more than welcome to hang out here with me until the rain stops if you'd like." I invited, doubting that he'd actually say no and leave back into the heavy rain.

Nathan gave another grin, wringing out my hand towel off to his side. "Thanks. It's nice being in front of a fire for a change."

I gave him a curious look. "Do you not have a Fire-Type, or at the very least matches?"

He shook his head, laying the hand rag on the ground next to his jacket and backpack. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p', "I chose a Totodile as my starter and I ran out of matches a while ago."

I nodded in understanding, silently wondering which of the three starters that one was. Water…?

We fell into a silence, the only noise coming from the storm raging outside and the fire wood popping on occasion. Nathan went about pulling out items from his wet backpack, checking for water damage. Growlithe continued to ignore us, though I knew without a doubt that it was waiting for Nathan to slip up and do something. I, for once, felt at relative ease while in the presence of another human. I doubt it would become a habit, but in the mean time I allowed myself to relax just the slightest.

Sigh, I got ready for a long wait ahead of me. Now I could at least add 'not alone' to my list of positives.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Six_

The storm continued for another three hours before finally letting up. I had begun fearing that it would never let up, the fire wood I was able to collect beforehand nearly gone. The last thing that I had wanted or needed was to be stuck inside a ruin with no source of heat while a storm raged on making travel not impossible but unpleasant, and not only in charge of keeping myself and Pokemon well, but another boy as well. It had been a glorious moment for the three of us when the thunder and lightning had stopped throwing its angry tantrum and dulled down to just rain.

I had called my parents earlier on, a little after Nathan had settled in and stopped his shaking. I was able to find out that the storm had come from out of the blue and was suppose to last for an unknown amount of time before what little signal I had was lost.

The only good that had come out of those three hours of waiting was making a new friend out of Nathan. With nothing better to do, we had shared bits and pieces of our life story.

I had found out his age, being ten as I had thought, and that he had began his Pokemon journey a little over a month ago much like myself, starting from New Bark after getting his first Pokemon. He had only just beaten Falkner and was currently on his way to Bloomingvale then Azalea town for his second badge, again much like myself, when he had been caught in the storm. Instead of turning back, he had continued to press on to find shelter until he stumbled across the Ruins of Alph and took refuge in the closest, whole looking building which just happened to be the one that I had taken to.

In return for telling me all of this, I had told him of my strong dislike and distrust of Pokemon and the reasons that I had taken up the title of Pokemon Trainer despite my feelings. I'm embarrassed to say that I got a little carried away in my rant concerning Pokemon, but Nathan had been silent through it all and had simply nodded in understanding when I had finished.

He had gained some respect for that from me as not many Pokemon Trainer's would have been able to take such a rant so calmly. I would know as I had gotten some nasty ridicule through the years by such Trainer's when I had voiced my opinion. It was the main reason why I didn't go around yelling out my beliefs while on my journey, actually. I'd rather not be known as the Trainer who hates Pokemon despite owning a full team plus some thank you very much.

The air around us had been slightly more comfortable after talking around ourselves, that awkwardness of being forced together with a stranger having passed for the most part.

Towards the end of the three hours wait, Nathan had let out his team of Pokemon for me to meet. I had been amused to note that he also had a Flaaffy as well as a Rattata, his other two Pokemon being an evolved Totodile, Croconaw and a Pidgeotto. The Croconaw had amused me the most, its cave-man like pattern along its chest making me laugh a bit. I had stopped as soon as it made a threatening biting motion at me, though.

With a frown I had released my other five Pokemon around me. My Noctowl hadn't wasted any time in gliding over to meet the new Pidgeotto, my Raticate staring down the younger and un-evolved Rattata. Our Flaaffy's both sat down beside one another after saying their different greetings, going on to talking about who knows what. Poliwag had stayed close to Growlithe and Nidorino, looking on at the Croconaw with weary eyes, not that the Pokemon seemed to notice, it to busy in striking up an animate conversation with its Trainer. Poliwag had quickly switched it line of sight towards the outside, eyeing the falling rain in badly hidden desire. With a roll of my eyes, I had waved my Water-Type off to go enjoy the rain fall. At least one of us would.

We had stayed like that for the remainder of the storm, some of our Pokemon getting to know one another better while others stared one another down, much like Raticate and Rattata. Croconaw had eventually gone out and joined Poliwag in the falling rain. Growlithe and Nidorino continued to stay by me side, have a quiet conversation of their own with the occasional look over the other Pokemon. Nathan and I had sat in silence, watching over our different Pokemon. It had been a… peaceful moment despite the raging storm outside.

When the storm had begun slowing to a light sprinkle, Poliwag and Croconaw had come back inside, talking to each other wildly, Croconaw waving around its arms while Poliwag seemed to skip. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't the least bit proud at how my Pokemon interacted with Nathan's Pokemon.

Nathan and I had gathered up our things, Nathan having to repack all of his items back into his backpack now that they were dry. I had Poliwag use water gun on the fire's ember's, thinking it better safe than sorry to leave them burning after we leave.

We returned our respective Pokemon, though I left out Poliwag along with Growlithe so it could play a bit longer in the rain puddles along the way. Despite my feelings concerning Pokemon, one could never say that I didn't treat my own Pokemon badly.

Nathan had taken my lead and had left out his Croconaw as well, much to its delight. Our two Pokemon wasted no time in scurrying outside before us, getting a jump start in their playing.

I had hesitated slightly before leaving the ruin, giving Nathan a curious look. I had contemplated a growing idea inside my mind, wrinkling my nose as I thought. He had given me a curious look of his own as he put on his backpack, his eyes still wide with that innocent look in them. Knowing that Growlithe would no doubt hate me for it but not really caring, I had invited Nathan to travel along with me until we reached Azuela Town.

In the three hours of meeting him and getting to know him, I had been pleased to find another Trainer that I could actually stand being around. I guess one could say that our personality's clashed well, his calm nature balancing out my sarcastic and sometime snarky one. Besides, my maternal instinct, though in this case I guess it would be big sister protectiveness, had already begun forming the moment he had woke me up by coming in soaking wet and looking half scared to death, shaking like a leaf.

I had actually been thrilled when he had agreed, him giving me a grateful smile for the offer as a burden seemed to lift from his shoulders. I had grinned in reply.

I always _have_ wanted a little brother…


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Seven_

I had been right in guessing that Growlithe wouldn't be happy with Nathan traveling along with us. It had gone into pouting mode the moment it found out the new traveling arrangement, trailing behind us grumpily while glaring at Nathan. It probably didn't help that it had to walk through water puddles that were quickly turning into mud puddles, sticking to its paws and the fur around them. I felt no pity for my Pokemon, having once again offered to return it only to be rudely rejected.

Up in front of Nathan and I, Poliwag and Croconaw continued to jump into the different puddles, both water and mud, having to seemingly made a game out of it in who could make the bigger splash. Through Croconaw always won given its larger size and heaver weight, Poliwag stayed as determined as ever and continued to go about playing with the other Water-Type.

We traveled like that for the rest of the day, Nathan and I getting to know one another better, our water Pokemon having a ball of a time, and Growlithe pouting. When it came to setting up camp for the night, we had a little problem in finding a spot that had been unaffected by the storm. We had to resort to letting out our bird Pokemon, sending one off to the left with the other going right in hopes of finding a somewhat dry spot or at the very least an abandoned cave.

The end result turned out to be the latter, Noctowl having found a small cave for us. It wasn't much, but it was dry.

After setting up our sleeping arrangements for the night, Nathan and I learned just how hard it was to burn wet wood, even with a Growlithe around to help light the fire however reluctantly. It had taken some time on our part as well as the use of Ember over and over, but we eventually got a small fire going hot enough to cook our chosen dinner; powdered soup mixed with a pot of water along with two cups of hot tea for a cold night.

With dinner out of the way and Nathan curled up in his sleeping bad, his Flaaffy curled up with him for extra warmth, I pulled out my Pokegear and finally went about calling my parents, Nathan watching me with his curious eyes the entire time.

My mom picked up on the fourth ring, her voice as cheery as ever. "McKnight residence, Carrie speaking."

"Hey mom, as formal as ever I see." I joked, grinning to myself.

"Sandra? About time you called! I was beginning to think that you would never call back! And here I was, fearing for you safety." My mom said, finishing with an annoyed huff.

"You think so lowly of me, mother, if you think I can't handle a storm." I said in mock betrayal. Nathan stifled a laugh off to the side. I winked at him playfully, causing him to grin around his sleeping bag. Flaaffy poked its head out to see what all the commotion was about, but ducked back beneath the cover once it saw me on my Pokegear.

"I wouldn't think so lowly of you if you didn't give me a reason to." She responded dryly. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm calling now; isn't that good enough for you, dearest mother?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever lets you sleep at night, love. So what are you calling about this time if not to let me know you're alive?"

I hummed to myself for a moment, thinking of a proper response. "Can't a daughter just call her parents?"

There was a pause and I could just _see_ my mom rolling her own eyes.

"The real reason, please."

Giving a long, heartfelt sigh I shook my head. "Nothing else, mom. I really _am_ just calling to check in with you two. Don't need you guys freaking out again after all." There was a pause. "Oh, that and I now have a traveling partner." I added in the last sentence as if an afterthought.

"A… traveling partner?" My mom questioned almost hesitantly.

"Yep." I gave Nathan another grin before continuing. "His name is Nathan. We ran into each other during the storm. He's rather cute, too." I mock whispered the last bit. Nathan had to cover his mouth with his hands to hide his laughter, knowing what I was trying to do as I had asked his permission earlier over dinner. He had found the idea of playing a joke on my parents amusing, if not a little cautious at first.

"…cute, you say?" Brief movement on my mom's side and a muffled yell of my dad's name made me choke down my own laughter, having to bite the inside of my cheek.

"Very. I'd say he's the cutest ten year old I've ever seen even!"

A short pause on my mom's side, Nathan having finally succumbed to his laughter. I shot him an amused look, close to giving in myself.

"Sandra." My mother said, her tone having lost all emotions.

"Yes, mother dearest?" I let a snicker slip out, having to cover my mouth to block the laugh that wanted to follow.

"Your joke is not appreciated. Get to bed." And with that she handed the phone to my dad, who wasted no time in questioning me about Nathan.

After reassuring him that _no_, I didn't like Nathan _that_ way but more in an older sister way, and that _yes_, he was in fact only ten, he wished me a good night's sleep and hung up with the promise to give my number to my friends from school. Who says we don't get along when needed?

I gave my Pokegear to a still giggling Nathan, having promised that I'd let him call his parents with it as well as letting him give them my number in case they needed to get a hold of him for some reason or another.

His conversation was longer than mine, though it's to be expected.

He explained about the storm and how he ran into me, telling them that from now on he would be able to call them and them him whenever they needed so they would no longer have to go days on end without hearing from him. Much to my surprise, he had handed my Pokegear to me with his parents still on the line, saying that they wanted to talk to me real quick. Taking it with no small amount of hesitance, I had waved off his mother's repeated thanks, telling her that it was the least I could do for them. With a promise to watch out for Nathan while traveling with him ("He's only _ten_ for heaven sakes!") I handed my Pokegear back to a blushing Nathan, embarrassed at his mom's request.

I headed outside after that, giving him some time alone to talk with his mom. I left Growlithe inside despite thinking that he wouldn't try anything like the other young Trainer I'd met. Better safe than sorry, and until I knew him better I would allow myself that little bit of paranoia.

I spent the next ten minutes star gazing, a sense of peace and tranquil washing over me. One thing I would never get use to on my journey is the sight of the night sky. It's just so… breathe taking no matter how many times I've seen it now. If this was one of the reasons why so many left to become Pokemon Trainer's, then I felt that I could understand their reasoning just that bit more.

Nathan joined me outside a bit latter, silently handing me back my Pokegear with a grateful smile. Instead of speaking and ruining the night's silence, he simply stood there next to me, looking up at the stars as well, the few Pokemon out calling out to one another softly only adding to the picture.

We stayed like that for who knows how long. When my feet began tiring, the long day's walking having not helped the matter, I reached over with a hand and ruffled Nathan's hair making him give me a childish pout. Grinning at him, I turned us back to 'our' cave.

"Come on then. Les get some sleep in. We have a long day ahead of us of we want to get to Bloomingvale after all."

He gave a grim, nodding with my hand still on top of his head. Giving him a playful nudge, we walked back inside. When he was once again back inside his sleeping bag, I put out the fire with the help of dirt, not wanting to call back out Poliwag.

Snuggling inside my own sleeping bag, I released Noctowl like I did every night. My Pokemon spared me a soft trill before hopping over the remains of our fire and taking to the night sky. Whispering a good night to Nathan and Growlithe, I allowed myself to sleep.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Eight_

Bloomingvale was certainly different than what Nathan and I was use to when it came to towns. The most obvious difference being that this town seemed to have a favored Pokemon: Sunflora.

It was as if every house that we passed, and there were a lot of them, there were a few Sunfloras hanging around. Some were content to bathing in the sun's provided warmth while others would cheerfully wave at Nathan and I as we passed, calling out their greetings to Growlithe.

It was definitely a new experience for the two of us, neither having seen a Sunflora in person before only to be seemingly surrounded by them. Even the people that we saw out and about had Sunfloras following them, some of the younger children playing with the Pokemon.

By the time we managed to find the Pokemon Center, Growlithe was looking over its shoulder in a paranoid fashion, not liking having so many Grass-Types around despite my Pokemon having the advantage. I wasn't far behind my Pokemon, eyeing all the Sunfloras with my un-ease plain to see. Nathan faired a bit better than Growlithe and I, having found all of the Sunfloras to be fascinating since a walking plant is _always_ interesting.

We got separate rooms across from one another, having decided to only stay for today and tomorrow instead of my usual week long stay in Pokemon Centers. Both Nathan and I were eager to get to the next town, my urge to get away from the Sunflora infested town only added to my reasoning, so we planned to only stay long enough in Bloomingvale to gather what supplies we needed for the long trek ahead of us.

With my Pokemon being healed, I dropped off my bag beside my bead and headed for the shower. A half hour later, I change into a spare pair of clothes and gather up my dirty clothes to wash.

An hour later I collect my Pokemon from the ever cherry Nurse Joy and head out to buy my few needed supplies. I figured by the time I got back my clothes would be ready to be but into the dryer.

I let Growlithe lead the way, its head lowered as it stared down the passing Sunfloras. Despite my Pokémon's actions, the townspeople greeted me with pleasant smiles and the occasional wave. I returned them as best as I could, my smile more forced than I would have liked. I couldn't help but laugh to myself at my rather ironic situation. Who knew that one's distrust for Pokemon could slowly transfer over to fellow humans as well. On the other hand, maybe that's just me.

After stopping by the Poke Center and local super market, I headed back to the Pokemon Center with my purchases, Growlithe growing edgier by the minute. I feared that any second it'd snap and attack one of the Sunflora's regardless of what I had to say on the matter. With that thought in mind, I picked up my pace in an attempt to get to the Pokemon Center that much faster.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the large building came into sight, thinking myself home free.

I just had to jinx myself.

"Hey, wait up!" A voice shouted from behind me. I slowed to give a curious look over my shoulder, hoping that I wasn't the one being called out to. My hopes were crushed when I saw a young girl, maybe around Nathan's age, running towards me with a smile as she waved me down. Heaving a sigh, I stopped and called over to Growlithe.

It didn't take long for the girl to reach me, only slightly out of breath from her sprint. I offered the kindest smile that I could, staying silent until it became mandatory to talk.

"Thanks for waiting." She started, grinning widely as she looked me first over, then Growlithe with an awed look. "I've never seen a Growlithe in person before! How long have you had it?" She asked as she crouched down to Growlithe's height, her hands thankfully on her knees instead of reaching out towards my Pokemon. Unsurprisingly, Growlithe let out a light growl, pinning the girl with a glare as it lowered its head and pressed its ears against its skull.

I stepped in front of Growlithe, knowing that it wouldn't take much now for my Pokemon to explode. The last thing that I needed was for it to do such on a young girl who was just admiring it. Growlithe's growling lessened only slight, but it was a start as far as I was concerned.

Giving the crestfallen girl a regretful look, I shift my grocery bags to one hand and offer my now free hand to the girl. She took it with a pout and I pulled her back up.

"Sorry, but my Growlithe's not really a people person, you know? It seems to only like me, and even then only half the time." I said with a weak grin, making the girl laugh at my 'joke'.

Shaking her hand, she took a step back and offered me another grin, though it was not nearly as wide this time around. "That's okay. I've heard that Growlithe's only really like their Trainer's, so I shouldn't be that surprised."

I smile back, not knowing what else to say. There was a short silence between us, the girl shifting between looking at the ground and at Growlithe who was by then sitting beside me, glaring at the young girl. I shifted my bags again, my fingers starting to hurt from having held onto them for so long.

Just as I was about to say goodbye and leave, the girl suddenly grinned at me, rocking back and forth on her feet with her hands held behind her back.

"So, do you want to battle?" She asked seemingly out of the blue, making me blink in mild surprise. I had gotten use to having other Trainer's challenging me to random battles, but never like this.

I gave a glance to Growlithe whose ears had perked up at the offer to battle. Giving a sigh to cover up my small smile, I nod. If I was lucky I'd be able to get Growlithe to relieve some of its built up anxiety so it'd no longer look like it was about to snap at the nearest thing, Pokemon or human.

I followed the girl as she led us out of the middle of the street. I never did understand why some Trainer's insisted on battling in the middle of the street of a town or city. Not only did it pose the threat of ruining the pavement, but the chance of a stray attack hitting a building or house was just too high to risk for something as silly as a Pokemon Battle. At least one would hope Trainers would think such thoughts, but I've lost count of how many times I've come across such battles.

The girl, Kelly was her name she had said, brought us to a nice opening, a place seemingly made with Pokemon Battle's in mind given the four marked off areas. We claimed one for ourselves, each of us standing on opposite sides inside the chalked off boxes. After deciding to have a one-on-one battle, I sat down my two bags behind me and nodded at Growlithe who doesn't hesitate in running out in front of me to prepare for battle.

Kelly, no doubt expecting my choice, reached for one of her Pokeballs and threw it out with an encouraging cheer. I was just as unsurprised to find that her chosen Pokemon was a Sunflora.

Our two Pokemon stared each other down for only a moment before jumping into action.

"Grass Whistle!"

"Distract with Ember, then Bite."

Just as the Sunflora put its leave like hands up to its mouth, Growlithe dashed forward and let out a mouthful of embers in front of the other Pokemon, causing it to squeal as it jumped back, its ordered move forgotten with the threat of fire. Without wasting a second, Growlithe got in close to the Sunflora, biting down on its body with enough momentum to send them both to the floor.

"Mega Drain!"

"Jump back and Ember."

Despite Growlithe's speed and great reaction time, it couldn't let go fast enough much less get away before Sunflora began sucking its energy into itself.

Drumming my fingers on my side, I watched as Growlithe wobbled back a few steps, shaking its head in an attempt to clear its head as its body momentarily sagged with its energy being sapped away. When the move was done, Sunflora shakily stood, regaining its lost balance. With the effects gone, Growlithe backed away from its opponent, eyeing the Pokemon with caution.

"Flame Wheel." I ordered calmly, crossing my arms over my chest to stop my fingers from fidgeting.

"Use Bullet Seed to stop it!"

Growlithe effortlessly dodged the Bullet Seeds, flames gathering along its body only for it to jump into a roll, heading for the suddenly frightened Sunflora.

"Quick Sunflora, get out of there!" Kelly called out, trying to snap her Pokemon out of its fear. It worked for the most part, Sunflora running to the side though not fast enough.

Growlithe slammed into the Sunflora, making it cry out in pain as its body was burned from the flames. With a final shove, the other Pokemon was sent flying back, Growlithe coming to a stop as the flames surrounding its body expanded outwards until they were gone.

We both waited in place as Kelly ran to see how her Sunflora faired. With a shake of her head, she recalled her Pokemon with a saddened smile. I motioned Growlithe back over towards me as Kelly stood back up, her eyes following my Growlithe's movements.

"Thanks for the battle. Now I really want a Growlithe for myself someday!" She grinned again, making me smile however slightly.

"I wish you the best of luck, then. Now, I really need to be going." I said as I picked back up my grocery bags. "Maybe when you have a Growlithe of your own we can battle again." I offer her another smile and nod my head in farewell, Kelly nodding back excitedly.

"I'll be looking forward to it! And next time, I'll be the one winning!"

With a small laugh, I head back towards the Pokemon Center. Sleep sounded mighty appealing at the moment.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Twenty Nine_

Nathan and I left the next day like we had agreed upon, meeting up after breakfast in the Pokemon Center's lobby. According to Nurse Joy, it would take four days of walking to reach Azuela Town if we walked nonstop during the day.

The first hour of walking was spent by Nathan telling me how he had spent his day yester after going our separate ways. He, much like myself, battled against some of the local Pokemon Trainer's. Unlike me, though, he was the one to challenge them, and he battled more than once, involving all of his Pokemon instead of just one.

I had told him of my own battle against Kelly, though my one battle seemed to pale compared against his. He had admitted to getting slightly carried away in challenging the other Trainer's, not that he regretted it. I had congratulated him on his won battles and tried my best at comforting him with his looses.

The rest of the first day was spent by talking about mindless things, such as our favorite food or color. Nathan called it bonding; I called it our boredom getting the best of us, making Nathan pout. Come night fall, we set up camp at dusk and settled in for the night.

Nathan had taken my lead in releasing a few of his own Pokemon while we slept, letting his Pidgeotto join my Growlithe and Noctowl. Noctowl didn't seem to mind the extra company, so I kept my mouth shut. What's even better, Growlithe had seemed to finally come to at least _stand_ having Nathan around.

While still not letting the younger boy touch it, Growlithe had stopped glaring at the poor boy when ever given the chance, which in my book was a great improvement given my Pokémon's rather hostile nature to humans that weren't me. Nathan seemed to think so as well, having grinned himself mad when he first noticed. We both kept our thoughts on the matter to ourselves less Growlithe go back to its old attitude; that's not to say we didn't share amused glances and silly grins with one another when my Pokemon was facing the other way.

The second day was spent much like the first, us two humans trying to find ways to waste time as we walked. We took turns in battle the wildlife, making it into a sort of game into who could defeat the most wild Pokemon we came across. I had let out my Poliwag as my chosen Pokemon, Nathan having let out his Rattata. We were able to waste a few hours in our made up competition before a certain Pokemon had caught Nathan's eyes.

"Sandra, look! Over there!" He whispered excitedly, pointing off to the side of us. Curious as to what could have caused such a reaction on him, I looked over to where his finger was pointed and searched for what had caught his attention. A movement out of the corner of my eye had me zeroing in on a Pokemon lying curled up upon itself on the ground just off the cleared path for Trainer's seeming sleeping.

"An Ekans." I said slowly, not really seeing the importance of the Pokemon. Looking back over to Nathan, I saw him staring at the sleeping Pokemon in awe.

I could just see where this was leading.

Motioning my two Pokemon back over towards me, I give Nathan an amused look.

"What are you waiting for? Go over and catch it already." I said, waving my hand towards the Ekans. Nathan stared at me in surprise, his eyes fully open.

"Catch it…?"

I rolled my eyes at the ten year old. "Yes, catch it. That's what you want to do, right? So go on!" I grinned. "If you don't get moving, I'll go over and catch it for myself." I teased.

That seemed to have the desired effect as Nathan jerked back, his mouth open for a split second before closing and a determined look replacing it. Nodding to me, he turned on his heels and marched closer to the sleeping Ekans. Taking a deep breath, Nathan beckoned his Rattata over, much to his Pokémon's displeasure.

"Quick Attack!"

After sending one last glance towards its master, Rattata seemed to sigh before charging the slightly awake Ekans (thanks to Nathan's yelled command) with a Quick Attack as commanded.

Still not fully awake, Rattata was able to hit the Ekans dead on, sending it flying with a pained hiss. Nathan waited a few seconds, letting the Ekans gather its surrounding before calling out his next attack.

"Hyper Fang!"

The Ekans had tried to land hit on the charging Rattata, but failed and was bit from behind along its middle. Rattata didn't stick around long, only staying long enough to deal the damage before jumping back out of the Ekans striking range. Ekans tried to counter by using its Wrap, but Rattata dodged given Ekans's slowed speed, a result from its wounds.

After a final Quick Attack on Rattata's part, Nathan threw his prepared Pokeball at the downed Ekans, the Pokemon being sucked in without protest. The Pokeball clicked shut after three shakes, causing Nathan to cheer, picking up his Rattata and spinning around in circles with it in his joy.

I laughed at Nathan's reaction to having caught another Pokemon, Poliwag cheering from my side. Growlithe remained silent, though I swear I caught a flash of teeth.

After placing his newly caught Pokémon's Pokeball on his belt, we started walking again. I ruffled Nathan's hair as I congratulated him, promising him that he could use my phone during lunch to call his parents.

By the end of the second day, we were all ready for bed. Nathan had already healed his new Ekans and introduced it to his other Pokemon, the Ekans being welcomed without trouble by all besides Rattata. The whole predator and prey thing might have been the reason, but that might just be me. On a side note, Nathan's Rattata looked as if it was ready to evolve second after the day's constant battles. I had my Raticate go up against the Rattata after Nathan had pleaded, having them duke it out until low and behold, Nathan's Rattata began glowing a bright white. Not even seconds later, a Raticate stood in Rattata's place much to Nathan's joy.

With that excitement over, we went about our nightly routine. Before I knew it, I was on the verge of sleep, Growlithe beside me and Noctowl out and about. Sleep is such a glorious thing.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Sorry it's so short, but I figured its better than nothing. The next chapter should be a lot longer. I'll try to have it out tomorrow if I can ^^' And no worries if I don't update for a few days in between chapters. I like this story to much to stop working on it.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty_

We reached Azuela Town three days later, taking an extra day to simply train up our different Pokemon. Nathan had especially liked battling against the different Water-Type Pokemon that the route had to offer once we came to open water. Croconaw and Poliwag really loved the chance to swim in the open ocean, while Noctowl got a chance to try out 'seafood' for the first time.

I'm pretty sure it liked it if the way it was eyeing the water afterwards was anything to go by.

Both Nathan's and my Flaaffy had fun zapping the Water-Types to their hearts content, using the chance to perfect their Electric-Type moves. They got a little carried away towards the end, though, having the fishermen that were around chase us off for it.

Our Raticates, along with my Growlithe and Nidorino, and his Ekans stuck to battling against the wild Pokemon found on land. Noctowl and Pidgeotto stuck to the sky, fighting against one another for most of the day with breaks in between to fight against the offered wild Pokemon.

Ekans, being Nathan's weakest Pokemon given its newly caught status, was given the most hands on training. I had switched between my Pokemon, making the rounds more than once. I had even gotten them to practice double teaming with of the wild Pokemon, setting them up in pairs that I'd change every now and then throughout the day up until the point where they were somewhat comfortable with working with one another.

We took turns in battling the few other Trainer's that we had come across, having learned to not bother the fishermen less we be chased off again. Both Nathan and I were determined to get in as much training as possible before we faced off against the next Gym Leader, having learned that the Leader favored Bug-Type Pokemon after a short phone conversation with my sister who had not only gotten the Hive Badge, but already obtained the rest of the Gym Badges of Johto and was currently waiting to go up against the Elite Four, much to my chagrin.

When it came to crossing through Union Cave, Nathan and I had let out both of our Flaaffy's, having them be our light source through Flash. We also kept out our two Water-Types, having Poliwag keep close to Nathan and I while Croconaw walked alongside the two Flaaffys a few paces ahead of us as we navigated through the cave.

Thankfully, we didn't come across any wild Onix. That's not to say we didn't come across Trainer's in the cave who didn't own one, but an Onix with a Trainer doesn't seem nearly as bad as a wild one in my opinion.

By the time we finally exited the cave, both Nathan and I had a new Pokemon. Nathan had decided to catch one of the wild Geodude's to help in his battle against the next Gym Leader, while I had caught a Sandshrew if only to say that I had a Ground-Type for future battle use with a bit of training.

When we had finally reached Azalea Town, Nathan and I had headed straight for the Pokemon Center, all of our Pokemon needed to be healed after out trip. While they were getting healed and after we had dropped off our things in our separate rooms, we spent an hour wondering through the city.

I found it slightly amusing that we went from being surrounded with Sunflora's to being surrounded with Slowpoke's. Did every small town have a favorite Pokemon?

Not needing supplies for the moment, we had instead headed towards the home of a famous Pokeball creator, Kurt.

Despite not being all that friendly towards us, he had agreed to make us his special Pokeballs if we collected the Apricorn's for them after explaining his rule that we could only give him one kind of Apricorn at a time. He had sent us on our way with directions to the grove of Apricorn trees and a small card that listed the different types of Apricorn's and what type of Pokeballs they would make.

Nathan and I had split up when he had arrived, having decided to 'divide and conquer'. I'd be going out to collect the white Apricorn's for Fast Balls while Nathan went out to collect green Apricorn's for Friend Balls.

We met back up fifteen minutes later, small scratched covering my hands and lower arms from the tree branches fighting back while I picked off the white Apricorn's. Nathan fared as well as I did in that matter, pouting glumly as he rubbed one of his scratches on his arm. I had managed to find a good ten white Apricorn's while Nathan had gotten seven green Apricorn's. At least we had each gotten a decent amount.

We stopped by Kurt's on the way back to the Pokemon Center, Kurt telling us that he'd have our new Pokeballs ready for us mid-day tomorrow at the latest. I had given him my Pokegear number to call us when he finished so neither of us had to wait for the other.

After collecting our Pokemon from the local Nurse Joy, we both headed out to train against the wild Bug Pokemon that the area had to offer.

As it turned out, there were quite a few different species that had made the surrounding area as their own.

I had earlier deposited my Poliwag to make room for Sandshrew to get in some training. After depositing Poliwag, I had bounced the idea back and forth of also taking out one of my three Gastly's for some training as well. I had relented in the end, figuring that since I'd be keeping one of the three (most likely the one that had basically decided on its own along with my Pokemon that I'd be its Trainer) it would be a good time as any to start actually training it. I had switched it out with Flaaffy, much to Nathan's Flaaffy's disappointment.

I was pleased to find that Sandshrew got along rather well with the rest of my Pokemon, the Pokemon itself being rather easy going out of battles yet determined when it came to battling others. Gastly acted as if it had known my Pokemon for years, my Pokemon responding to it rather well, thought I wasn't really surprised. If I remember correctly back to that night, my then team had had a little vote amongst themselves concerning the Gastly before having me catch it without a battle.

Besides focusing on my Gastly and Sandshrew, I also focused on Noctowl and Growlithe, the two of them being my main fighting force in the coming battle against Bugsy, the Gym Leader. I let Raticate and Nidorino do as they pleased, Raticate choosing to use its Hyper Fang on the surrounding trees while Nidorino took to charging whatever wild Pokemon happened to come into its line of sight.

I won't lie; it was rather funny to watch. The Spearow ambush that fallowed one if its charges was not that amusing, though it did provide great moving targets for my and Nathan's Pokemon.

Come the second day of our stay in the town, we spent the morning relaxing, something that neither of us had had the opportunity to do lately given our constant activities. After a long breakfast, we headed by the Gym to make an appointment for a battle. Mine was scheduled before Nathan's by an hour, mine being at two in the afternoon.

With a few hours to go until my battle, Nathan and I had gone back to wondering through the town, not wanting to tire out our Pokemon by getting in some last minute training, wanting them to be at their best come the battle.

When it came to noon, we stopped for lunch, releasing our Pokemon to join us in our relaxing. Seeing how we were still within the town, most of our Pokemon went off and tried to interact with the Slowpoke that were around at the moment after Nathan and I had given them all strict orders to not actually harm any of the Slowpoke's. The last thing that we needed was to be chased out of town by an angry mob for hurting one of their 'precious' Pokemon.

Around quarter till two, we gathered up our Pokemon and headed over to the Gym after recalling them all (minus Growlithe, obviously).

I signed in with the elderly man at the front counter and then lead to the battle arena, Nathan standing off to the side as there were no seats for him given the forest like appearance that the Gym had taken on inside.

The Gym Leader, Bugsy, had appeared soon after. Setting the battle as three Pokemon each, he released his first choice, a Kakuna, something that immediately made me cautious. No way would a Gym Leader let out such a Pokemon without it knowing some serious moves.

Not wanting to send out Growlithe to early in care I needed it later on, I instead reached for Noctowl's Pokeball. Releasing my chosen Pokemon, I waited for the referee to start the match, our Pokemon eyeing each other though I swear Noctowl's stare had a different meaning behind it than Kakuna's.

Huh. I thought it ate before we left, too.


	32. Chapter Thirty One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty One_

"Peck."

"Harden and String Shot."

I frowned when Noctowl's attack didn't deal nearly as much damage as I would have liked and swiftly moved to counter the String Shot.

"Use the surrounding trees as shelter from the String Shot." I quickly order, knowing that if Noctowl was hit on its wing it would have trouble flying, past battles with such a move leaving an impression in both of our minds.

Noctowl was quick in hiding within the many trees, gracefully dodging the branches despite its large size. The String Shot hit the trunk of a tree, the Kakuna trying to follow Noctowl's movements, but failed in the end.

Going through a list of different possible strategies in my mind, I quickly settled on one, using past battles with wild Kakuna's as a type of reference.

"Confusion then another Peck." I commanded in a louder voice than usual given the fact that I wasn't quite sure where my Noctowl was at the moment.

"Harden again." Bugsy countered, narrowing his eyes on me for a moment before looking back at his Pokemon.

It was silent for a few second, Kakuna having already used Hardened as we waited for my Pokemon to make its move. Bugsy had just opened his mouth to speak when Noctowl flew back into view, its eyes a deep red. Without warning, Kakuna was thrown back as, a faint pink outline surrounding its body. Without missing a beat, Noctowl swooped down and delivered a powerful Peck, nailing the Kakuna on the top of its head.

Noctowl threw in a Growl in the end as it took back to the sky, making me bite my lip to stop a grin. Off to the side Nathan cheered at Noctowl's victory, making my Pokemon ruffle its feathers in pride as I eyed Noctowl with just as much pride.

Bugsy frowned as the referee called the round as mine, returning his downed Pokemon. As Bugsy released his next Pokemon, I gave Noctowl a questioning look, silently asking if it wanted to continue. My Pokemon gave me a soft trill as it flew in circles above me and Growlithe, saying in its own way that it'd continue. Nodding, I looked back over to the center of the battle field and took in Bugsy next Pokemon.

A Metapod. Resisting the urge to sigh, I nodded over to the ref, silently telling him I was ready to start the next match. With a wave of his two different colored flags, the battle began.

"Harden and prepare String Shot."

With a frown I gave my own command. "Confusion." I wanted Noctowl as far away from the Metapod as possible until I figured out just what Bugsy was planning by his unusual order.

Bugsy frowned at my order, clearly unpleased with my choice of command making me even more wary about getting my Pokemon close to the Metapod for a direct attack. Despite a Metapod's limited move set in their current form, I was quite aware that Trainer's were able to teach their Pokemon moves either sooner that they'd be able to learn them at a natural pace, or moves that they would have been unable to learn otherwise. With how Bugsy was acting, I'd rather be safe than sorry and stick to long distance moves until I knew for sure wither he was planning a strategy or that his Pokemon knew a move that could harm my own Pokemon.

Noctowl thankfully stayed back while using Confusion, the move having the same result with Metapod as it did with Kakuna, picking up the Pokemon and throwing it back into one of the surrounding trees.

"Keep using Harden, Metapod! Don't let them break through!" Bugsy finally shouted out at his Pokemon, giving it an encouraging look as the Metapod wiggled on the ground briefly before stopping, Hardening one time after another.

Clenching my hands to give them something to do, I gave my next order.

"Hypnotize it, Noctowl. Don't let it keep using Harden." I knew from yesterday's training just how annoying it is to go up against a fully hardened Bug Pokemon like Metapod. Despite the type advantage, it took Nidorino for seemingly _forever_ until it finally beat the wild Metapod into defeat, having used Peck repeatedly to do so.

Noctowl got a little closer, having stopped a little of to the Metapod's side as its eyes began to glow red again, though instead of sending the Bug Pokemon flying into another tree, red circle like beams landed on the Metapod. At first there seemed to be no effect, but then the Pokémon's eyes slowly closed.

Knowing that I didn't have long before the Pokémon's ability kicked in, I ordered Noctowl to do a series of Pecks. Bugsy watched with clenched hands as my Pokemon attacked his own. He tried calling out to the Metapod, trying to wake it up despite knowing that it'd have no effect.

Not long after Noctowl began its barrage of Peck, the Metapod began wiggling. With one last violent Peck, Noctowl moved back, flying back over towards me as it waited for my next order.

I'll admit that I was rather surprised when the Metapod not only discarded its skin, something that I knew was going to happen, but when its cocoon began cracking shortly after. When the Metapod started to glow a bright white, I had to hold in my groan of frustration.

Figures it would evolve now of all times.

With a grin, Bugsy congratulated him newly evolved Butterfree. With a shared look between Noctowl and Growlithe, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and planned out my next strategy. I needed to end this as fast as possible.

Steeling my nerves and holding back a wince for what was about to come, I made my move.

"Uproar."

I swear Noctowl's trill was that of a laugh.

I felt Growlithe press its body up against my back legs, its ears laying flat as it let out a small whimper. I felt like doing the same in all honesty, but I kept my eyes on the battle, taking in the way that the Butterfree flailed about in the air, trying to keep its balance much like how Falkner's Pidgey had acted in our last Gym Battle. On the other side of the battle arena, Bugsy was pressing his hands against his ears, wincing as he tried to call out to his Pokemon. Nathan wasn't fairing much better, having copied after Bugsy and clasped his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out Noctowl.

While I the hated the effect that the move had on the rest of us, I would never doubt the power it held in battle.

Despite the power boost that it had gotten from evolving, the wounds that it had received while as a Metapod from Noctowl remained. Adding in the Uproar, I was surprised at just how long the Butterfree managed to last before fainting into a heap on the ground. After that, Noctowl stopped its Uproar and landed on the ground, only to set about preening its wing feathers.

Such a vain Pokemon, my Noctowl.

The referee called the match as my victory again, making me grin as Nathan once again started cheering for Noctowl and I. With only one last Pokemon to face against, I was feeling really good, not one of my own Pokemon fainted.

When Bugsy gat done recalling Butterfree and released his third and final Pokemon, I scrunched up my nose. Scyther's were one of my least favorite Pokemon, having had a run in when I was younger with a wild one that got a little _too_ close for comfort. If one was to ever try to find a reason for my dislike for Pokemon, that incident would definitely be one of the leading factors.

Thanking my Noctowl, I return it and nod towards Growlithe, making the Pokémon's ear perk up at the chance to battle. With a fang filled smile, Growlithe slowly walks out into the battle arena, eyeing the Scyther all the while with a low growl sounding from its mouth. The Scyther responded by crouching into a battle stance, eyeing my Pokemon with caution.

"Fire-Type or not, you won't be getting past my Scyther. We've trained specifically to counter any fire moves that you got." Bugsy said, in an almost taunting way as he folded his arms across his chest.

I smirked, my eyes showing my amusement at his statement.

"Well, in that case, we'll just have to be a bit…_creative_, won't we, Growlithe?"

Growlithe gave a sharp bark, crouching much like the Scyther, making Bugsy pause briefly, his smug grin faltering just the slightest.

As soon as the referee started the match, both Bugsy and I jumped into action.

"Quick Attack!"

"Bite."

As the Scyther charged forward, Growlithe opened its mouth to attack at a moment's notice. When Scyther finally hit Growlithe, my Pokemon bit down onto the other Pokemon's shoulder, just below its neck.

Not missing a beat, I called out my next command; Growlithe followed it without a second's thought.

"Ember."

We got past their so-called perfect defense, the Scyther letting out a pained cry as its shoulder and past of its chest was burnt by Growlithe's Ember attack. The Bug/Flying-Type lashed out with its scythe-like weapons, to blind from the pain to aim correctly, resulting in Growlithe being able to jump back without being hit.

With a smirk, I called out my last order for Growlithe.

"Roar."

Growlithe let out its loudest Roar yet, mixing in a growl for good measure towards the end making my smirk turn into a wide grin. Yeah, that Growlithe was mine.

Between its burn and the panic from Growlithe's Roar, Bugsy's Scyther fled back to its Trainer.

The referee called the match, declaring me the winner. Growlithe trotted back to me, its head held high with its fluffy tail swaying back and forth.

Laughing in delight, I bent down without thinking and ran my fingers through Growlithe's fur, praising it in its performance. By the time my brain caught up with my body, I gave a nervous laugh and withdrew my hand from on top of Growlithe's head, my Pokemon giving me weird looks though not exactly complaining at the sudden attention.

Standing back up, I was tackled into a hug by Nathan, the young boy speaking so rapidly that I could barely make out what he said. With a roll of my eyes I hugged him back while giving the politest smile I could towards Bugsy as he walked over to us.

He attempted to return the smile, managing better then my own, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Hive Badge.

"Congratulations on beating the Azuela Gym. Here is your Badge to show your achievement." I reached out with one hand, my other hand resting on top of Nathan's head, and picked up the small badge with a wide grin.

"Thanks. This means a lot to me." '_Just the not the way you think it does'_ I finished mentally.

Not having my badge case with me at the moment, I pinned the Hive Badge onto the front of my shirt, sticking myself in the process much to my embarrassment.

With an half an hour until Nathan's own battle, something that amused Bugsy when he found out that Nathan would be his next challenger, we stopped by Kurt's to pick up our custom made Pokeballs. We made it back to the Gym with ten minutes to spare, Bugsy waiting for us.

Unlike Falkner, Bugsy didn't seem to hold a grudge against those who were able to beat him. We spent the ten minutes leading up to his and Nathan's battle chatting, Bugsy telling us more about his town and the reason behind the love for Slowpokes after we asked him if every town or city from this point on had a favorite Pokemon since his and Bloomingvale each had one.

When it came for the battle to start, I stood where Nathan had been for mine, cheering him on all the while.

Bugsy had used similar Pokemon in Nathan's matches as he had mine. His first two were both Kakunas. His third, though, had not been a Scyther, but instead a Heracross.

Nathan had used his Geodude to fight off and beat the two Kakunas; its time spent training yesterday having helped enough for it to win with only minimal trouble. When it came to the Heracross, he had switched in his Pidgeotto. The bird Pokemon had easily taken out Bugsy's Pokemon, Heracross having a double weakness against Flying-Types.

All in all, Nathan's and Bugsy's battle was both quicker than my own and less eventful, none of Bugsy's Pokemon having evolved during the matches though that seemed to suit Nathan just fine.

The next thing to do now was for us to call our respective parents and tell them the good news.

I couldn't wait to see what 'present' I got next.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Two_

The first thing that Nathan and I did once we dropped off our Pokemon to be healed by Nurse Joy was to call our respective parents. Using the Pokemon Center's video phones, we each claimed one as our own and called home.

It didn't take long for my father to answer, eating an apple all the while. With a roll of my eyes, I greeted him.

We spent a few minutes catching up, him telling me what all has been happening at home while I told him more about my journey, telling him of my newest Pokemon, Sandshrew. When my mother finally came to see what all the noise was about, I discreetly shifted in my seat and rubbed at where my new badge was, stilled pinned on the collar of my shirt.

Unsurprisingly, my mom was the first to catch on, squealing, actually _squealing_, when she saw it.

After my dad got over his embarrassment for having not noticed earlier, he joined my mom in questioning me about my battle with Bugsy. After a ten minute questioning session, I had the chance to ask about my second 'gift' for obtaining my second badge. My mom promised that she would mail it off as soon as we were done talking, saying that it should be there in five days time with express shipping and all that fin jazz. Apparently, what I was going to be getting was _suppose_ to have been my first item, but with the whole not calling incident, it had been pushed back to become my second.

With that out of the way, we talked for a bit longer. We finally hung up so that my mom could make it to the post office before they closed, my dad going off to start dinner. With a wave goodbye and a promise to call again before I left for the next town, I ended the conversation and went over to see id Nathan was finished talking with his parents.

I stood off to the side as he said his own goodbyes. When he stood after hanging up I caught his attention and we made our way to the Center's cafeteria for dinner as we waited for our Pokemon to heal.

It was going to be a long five days.

-.-.-.-.-.-

For the most part, Nathan and I spent the days training our Pokemon, neither of us one to slouch around and do nothing with the day. We trained together most of the days, granted, but we also trained separately as well. Nathan had a real love for challenging other Trainer's, while I preferred to avoid other Pokemon Trainer's when possible, only battling them when challenged, something that still happened quite a bit despite my best attempts at hiding out in the surrounding forest.

With Nathan only having six Pokemon still, he didn't have to worry about having to switch out his Pokemon. I, on the other hand, had a total of ten counting my other two Gastlys. While not spending a lot of time with the two, I did the bare minimum in preparations to either trading them off or giving them away to Trainer's that would actually use them. One Gastly was more than enough for me, much less three.

I had heard through some of the Trainer's passing through the town that one of the smaller towns outside Azalea, Palmpona, held a regular Pokemon Swap Meet once a week for Pokemon Trainer's as well as anyone else who owned a Pokemon. I was hopeful that I could trade off or give away my two Gastly's there.

That was my plan at least until Nathan found out and changed it just the slightest.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I stretched my arms above my head, holding back a yawn as I walked towards the Pokemon Center's doors. My package should be arriving within the next day, something that I was thankful for. While not exactly _disliking_ the town, I was more than ready to move on.

"Hey, Sandra!" I heard a voice call out, making me pause. Looking over my shoulder I saw Nathan jogging over towards me, a smile on his face. "Where are you going so early? It's not even eight yet!"

I ruffle his hair once he gets close enough, something that I've gotten use to doing around him. He really did make a pretty good little brother, something that made my parents laugh when I made such a comment to them.

"Well, I _was_ planning to go out and train up my other two Gastlys. Why? Do you need something? Is there someone I need to go beat up for you?" I asked with a teasing grin, making Nathan laugh and bat my hand off his head.

"No, you don't need to go beat someone up," he replied with a grin, amusement sparkling in his eyes, "I was just wondering is all. Why are you suddenly training your other Gastlys? I thought you were only going to be using that one." He asked, tilting his head to the side childishly, his eyes wide.

I gave a shrug. "Oh I am; I'm just getting these two ready for that Pokemon Swap Meet in Palmpona coming up. Got to have them knowing _some_ good moves if I want someone else to want them."

"You're just going to give them away?" Nathan asked, his eyes getting even bigger somehow.

"Well, I'm not going to just _give _them away per-say. I'm hoping to trade them off."

Nathan started rocking back and forth on his heels, his hands behind his back as he put on his most innocent look. "Say, Sandy," I glared half heartily at the use of the nickname, making him grin, "if you don't want either of them, why don't you give one to me?"

I gave him a bland look, raising an eyebrow at the boy I've taken to thinking of as a younger brother.

"You want one of my Gastlys?"

Nathan nodded eagerly, his puppy eye look back. I couldn't help but grin at it.

"And why, might I ask, the sudden interest in them _now_?" I questioned.

Nathan looked down at the ground, kicking his foot back and forth as he gave a quiet answer, an answer so quiet in fact that I couldn't even make it out.

"You're going to have to repeat that, little brother." I said, ruffling his hair again in hopes of getting a reaction. I was pleased when I got such a reaction, Nathan lifting his head as he grinned at me weakly.

"Because I wasn't able to catch one in Bellsprout Tower, but I really, really, _really_ want one." He answered in a near whine, pouting at me.

Oh, he was _good_, using such a look on me.

With another hair ruffle, I reached for one of my Gastlys Pokeballs. With a smile, I offered it to an excited looking Nathan. He took the Pokeball with hesitant hands, having looked at me for confirmation before finally taking it.

With a wide grin, he threw his arms around me for a tight hug. After repeating 'thank you' so many times that I lost count, he ran up to the front counter of the Pokemon Center to talk to the Joy on how to officially transfer ownership of the Gastly from me to him. I followed behind with a grin of my own, happy to have made Nathan so happy in such a seemingly simply way. Well, to me at least.

.-.-.-.-.-.

My package arrived late afternoon the next day, much to my joy.

I had just gotten back from training with my second Gastly, the one I was still planning on giving away come the Swap Meet, when Nurse Joy called me up to the front desk. I had accepted the small brown package with a grin, thanking the Joy before heading up to my room.

Shutting my room door after Growlithe, I set my bag down beside my bed and sat down on it crossed legged. Growlithe hopped up to join me, circling briefly before curling up near my pillows at the head of the bed with a yawn. Rolling my eyes at my Pokemon, I set about opening my second prize for winning my second badge.

When I had removed all the brown wrapping paper, I stared down blankly at the item in my hand. It was a small gadget, being no longer than my Pokegear, a deep red in color. On the front was what looked to be a small camera as well as a button to flip it open, a removable stylus on the side. On the top, right hand corner was a place to string through a chain, so that one could wear it around that neck it they so choose.

My parents had gotten me a Pokedex.

I grinned widely as I clicked it open, powering it on. The welcome screen came up, welcoming me with my full name. My parents had even programmed it for me; how nice of them.

For the next half an hour, I amused myself by going through my Pokedex, a list of the Pokemon that I already owned being listed and counted. I had even found out how to look up my Pokémon's stats, having pointed my new Pokedex at the sleeping Growlithe to come up with a list of its known moves as well as its stats.

I was going to have _fun_ with my new toy that was for sure.


	34. Chapter Thirty Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Three_

Nathan and I left the next morning, Nathan amusing himself by playing with my new Pokedex by pointing it at each and every wild Pokemon we came across, listening to the Pokémon's entry with interest. He seemed to be getting just as much fun out of it I was, having used it already to scan his own Pokemon as well. I just shook my head and let him do as he willed, glad that he was having so much fun.

When we stopped for lunch later that day, I took back my Pokedex despite Nathan's pouting. He needed to eat, after all, and I knew that if he had my Pokedex he wouldn't even touch his meal, this morning at breakfast being an example.

We let out our Pokemon to join us, feeding them while we were at it.

This time around my team consisted of Growlithe (obviously), Nidorino, Noctowl, Poliwag, and my two Gastlys. My goal was to not only train up my second Gastly, but work on getting Poliwag to evolve finally. It was close, no more than a few battles away no doubt, and we were both waiting until then.

Nathan's team remained the same for the most part, having switched out his Pidgeotto for his new Gastly being the only main difference. While Gastly was exactly close to Nathan, it would listen to his orders for the most part so far, though that might have only been because Growlithe was staring it down the entire time every time Nathan gave it a command while training or during battle.

Our Pokemon still thankfully got along for the most part, Nathan's Raticate being the exception when around Ekans and Noctowl unsurprisingly. Nidorino and Growlithe preferred to be left alone, each eating on either side of me and sitting in silence. The three Gastlys ate together with Noctowl up above us when not busy teasing and pulling pranks on Raticate and Ekans, both of whom were on opposite sides on one another in the small clearing all the while eyeing the three Gastlys. Nathan's Flaaffy and Croconaw ate beside Nathan, much like how Nidorino and Growlithe were with me, Flaaffy eventually curling up in Nathan's lap after eating. Poliwag sat beside Croconaw, the only other Water-Type around at the moment and talking rapidly about something-or-another.

When lunch ended, a good hour later, Nathan and I returned most of our Pokemon. I kept Poliwag and Nidorino out along with Growlithe, Poliwag to continue training against the wild Pokemon we came across as we walked; Nidorino simply because it had glared at me and refused to go back into its Pokeball when I had tried to return it. I had allowed it to stay out, but threatened it with no more Mago Berries if it continued refusing to go back into its Pokeball. I already had to deal with Growlithe on a constant basis; I didn't need _another_ one of my Pokemon to pick up Growlithe's bad habits in wanting to stay out of its Pokeball.

We trained as we traveled, Nathan with his Gastly and I with my three present Pokemon. I sent Poliwag out against most of them that I knew it could handle, sending in Nidorino or Growlithe along with it when it was against a Pokemon that Poliwag would have had trouble with alone given the type disadvantage. One such battle against a wild Noctowl being a prime example.

It had started off with Poliwag going up against a wild Hoothoot. Nothing too bad in the beginning, Poliwag matching it move for move, it's surprisingly powerful Water Gun keeping the Hoothoot at bay and Body Slam's when the Pokemon had gotten to close.

The battle had changed, though, when a wild Noctowl had swooped in and knocked Poliwag back and off its feet. The wild Pokemon had landed in front of the wounded Hoothoot, giving a threatening trill at Poliwag and me.

Poliwag, none too pleased with the unexpected attack, had not backed down like the wild Noctowl wanted, but instead jumped up and began a Rain Dance. Such a move made Nathan, Growlithe, Nidorino, and I all huddle together as Nathan pulled out my newly bought umbrella for such an occasion from my backpack, Nathan returning his Gastly soon after for more room.

The rain started off light, though it quickly turned into a downpour, making it hard to see. The wild Noctowl, not one to be outdone or back down from a fight, much like my own Noctowl, continued its fight against Poliwag, the Hoothoot that my Pokemon had originally been fighting joining in making it a two-on-one fight.

While the rain helped in powering up Poliwag's water moved and allowed one of its abilities, Water Absorb, to kick in and heal small amounts of damage, it still had trouble fending off two Flying-Types. After not even a minute of them fighting, Poliwag slowly being beaten, I ordered Nidorino to go join the battle, commanding it to cover Poliwag's back with whichever move was required as I still couldn't see well enough to know what was going on.

With Nidorino charging in to join up with Poliwag, I was left standing with Nathan and Growlithe feeling completely useless. There was a reason why I didn't like Poliwag using this move, after all. I treated it like how I did Noctowl's Uproar, not using it unless absolutely necessary.

Not long after Nidorino joined was there a pained cry, one that I knew from past experience belonged to the Hoothoot. Not long after was there a flash of a bright, white light.

It was either Poliwag, or the Hoothoot.

Another minute passed until the rain finally started lightening to a soft drizzle before completely stopping. I looked over the make-shift battle arena anxiously despite myself, wanting to know how my Pokemon faired.

The first thing that caught my eye was the downed Hoothoot, lying off to the side next to a tree's base. The wild Noctowl stood before it, wings spread out as to protect the fainted Pokemon as it stared down my own Pokemon with a withering glare. Next came Nidorino, pawing at the wet and muddy ground as it returned the Noctowl's glare with one of its own, its poisoned tipped horn pointed at the Flying-Type.

Then, my eyes landed on the last Pokemon in the clearing, a Pokemon that was clearly _not_ a Poliwag any longer.

It was taller for starters by about a foot, reaching to my waist now. The biggest difference, though, was that it had _arms_. While short, they were still there. When it turned to face me, giving me a sharp salute, I grinned as I looked over my newly evolved Poliwhirl. Beside me Nathan gave a light laugh as he called out his congratulations to my Pokemon.

Giving Poliwhirl a nod with my grin still in place to show my own pride at my Pokémon's achievement, I gave it a single order.

"Water Gun."

Poliwhirl turned to face the wary Noctowl who was too busy eyeing Nidorino to see the incoming attack. The jet of water, much more powerful I noticed with glee, hit the wild Pokemon head on, sending it crashing against the tree's trunk behind it. It slid down the tree until it was laying next to the Hoothoot, finally knocked out.

Nidorino threw its head back in victory as it strutted back to me, giving Growlithe a superior look, making the Fire-Type growl back. Poliwhirl pounded its two fists together, calling out triumphantly as it eyes its new appendages.

My grin grew wider.

A perfect way to end the day in my book.


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Four_

We reached Palmpona the next day, a little before we would usually stop for lunch. Nathan had perked up when he first saw the beach that the town had been built along, eyeing it the entire time as we made our way to the Pokemon Center. I smiled in amusement at his behavior, though I wanted to go to the beach just as much as him. Growlithe, on the other hand, had glared at the beach with all it was worth, having given a small growl at the sight.

Fire-Types and their never ending hate for water…

While we checked in at the Pokemon Center, handing over our Pokemon to be healed, I had found out that the next Pokemon Swap Meet was to be held in four day's time out on the streets of the town. I had thanked the Joy and after dropping off our things in our separate rooms, Nathan and I headed straight towards the beach with wide grins after changing in more beach appropriate clothing.

We had time to waste, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I spent the four days leading up to the swap meet with my second Gastly, giving it some last minute training. It was fully aware about my plan of trading it away to another Trainer, but thankfully didn't put up a fuss about it. If anything, it seemed eager to go to another Trainer.

I worked with my newest member as well, the Sandshrew switching places with Poliwhirl. For my other Pokemon, Nidorino, Growlithe, Noctowl, and Raticate, I left them to their own devices, allowing them to do as they pleased as long as they were within whistling range. I called it their very own little vacation, Nathan saying that I was just too lazy to actually train them at the moment.

He had changed his mind when I had nailed him with a handful of sand, though.

By the time that the Pokemon Swap Meet started, I felt good about my Gastly's level. From what my Pokedex said, something that I had double checked with Nurse Joy, it was even close to evolving into a Haunter. I had debated with myself on whether or not to just train it that bit more for evolution, but had decided against it in the end. It might be a good selling piece, after all.

I had left Growlithe in my room at the Pokemon Center, not wanting people to think that I was offering it for a trade. I kept my other Pokemon with me, though, as a 'just in case' sort of thing. I left out my second Gastly, letting people who might be interested in to able to see it.

Nathan split up from me once we arrived; he wanted to have a look around by himself, though he said that he didn't want to trade any of his Pokemon, keeping them all in their Pokeballs. I had waved him off with a chuckle, promising to meet back up with him in the Pokemon Center when we were done. He had certainly changed personality wise from when I first met him, changing from a shy, hide in the background kind of boy to someone who wasn't afraid to ask questions and wonder on his own with a little more confidence.

How the young grow so fast.

The Pokemon Swap Meet itself was just as I expected it to be; loud, overcrowded, and was too much 'accidental' bumps from some of the older male Trainer's. Never had I missed Growlithe as much as I did then; at least with it there, no one would have been able to get close enough to me to 'casually' run into, that person's hand just happening to touch my butt or, twice, my chest.

I had decided then and there that I hated crowds.

Not to say that I didn't strike back, quite literally, or have Gastly scare them off, but the fact that it still _happened_ ticked me off and ruined any good mood that I might have had about the day.

And Nathan wonders why I don't exactly like other's so much, the innocent, innocent, child that he is.

Even when one took out _that_ part of my day, the whole trying to find another Trainer to trade with was a difficult task upon itself.

While I got a lot of the younger Trainer's, some who didn't even look ten, had offered to trade me, all of their offered Pokemon were one's that I could have easily gotten myself in the surrounding forest, or Pokemon that I could have caught but didn't simply because I didn't _want_ them.

I had so close to simply giving up, ready to just agree to the next trade offer that I received, if only to get the day done and _over_ with, when a certain young boy caught my attention.

He stood off to the side of the street, looking at Gastly who hovered above me with a look a genuine longing, fiddling with a Pokeball in his hands in a seemingly subconscious way. What really interested me, though, was the fact that he hadn't fought his way up to me like so many his age had done and demand a trade for my Pokemon. He rather reminded me of Nathan, looking around his age, and matching in his meek appearance when in such a large crowd when we had first started traveling together.

Despite myself, my curiosity was peaked and I found myself slowly making my way towards him, Gastly following at its own rate above me. I kept my eye on him so that I wouldn't lose him in the crowd, my job made easier for me as he didn't move from his spot and continued to eye my Gastly who was lazily making its was over, making the boy's eyes widen in wonder.

When I was finally able to break through the mass of people, I walked over to the boy with a small smile on my face that for once, wasn't forced in the least. The boy, in turn, noticed my presence when Gastly floated down beside me, giving a light crackle for no apparent reason.

The boy returned my smile with one of his own, more hesitate smiles, still fiddling with his shrunken Pokeball as he looked from Gastly to me back to Gastly. My smile widened when his look of want returned, Gastly giving its ghostly grin to the boy as it dipped in the air only to rise back up again, looking as if it was dancing around me as entertainment for the young boy.

"I see that you like my Gastly." I started with a soft voice, just loud enough for him to hear me over the noise of those behind us.

He gave me a shy nod, his eyes not quite meeting mine. I shared a questioning look with Gastly, silently asking it on its thoughts about the boy. While I was going to trade it with another, I still wanted it to agree to the Trainer beforehand if at all possible. I wasn't about to force it into a trade with someone ho it didn't really like.

Gastly simply gave another crackle of a laugh, grinning like a loon. I shared a grin of m own with it, glad to know that it approved of the boy in its own way.

"How would you like to have him? It's seemed to have taken a liking for you, anyway, and who am I to ruin an up-and-coming bond?"

_That_ caught the boy's attention, his head snapping up so fast that I feared he'd gotten whiplash. With wide eyes, his mouth slight agar with his surprise clear on his face, he gave a hurried nod, seeming not able to find his voice at the moment.

I gave Gastly a cheeky grin. "See that, Gastly? I dare say we found you a new Trainer."

Gastly didn't bother with a reply, floating forward as to greet its soon to be new Trainer. The boy didn't hesitate in reaching forward with his hands after pocketing his Pokeball and placing them beneath Gastly, making it appear as if he was really holding him. His palms brushed against Gastly ever so lightly, making the boy shiver just the slightest, but he didn't pull his hands back as I half expected him too. I knew from past experiences with the Gastly I was going to be keeping that touching it's body-like-gas left one feeling as if they were touched with ice, numbing the body part touched from the extreme coldness.

The boy's large grin faltered, though, catching me off guard as he looked around Gastly and at me.

"M-my Pokemon…" He began with a stutter, making his face flush as he avoided eye contact again. "You probably won't like my Pokemon."

It took me a few seconds to figure out just what he said and another few seconds to understand what he meant by them. When it did click, I just gave an easy-going smile.

"Don't worry about your Pokemon. Whatever it might be, I'll trade you Gastly for it. Like I said earlier, who am I to break up such a forming bond?" He didn't seem all that convinced, so I tried another tactic. He really did remind me of Nathan at the moment. "Well, why don't you tell me what Pokemon you have to trade?" I asked with honest curiosity.

"Horsea." He said in such a voice that I had to strain my own hearing in order to hear him. I tiled my head as I tried to think back as to just which Pokemon that was, and when I did remember I placed a grin on my face.

"Why, that's just perfect!" I exclaimed with as much false joy as I could. Despite the fact that it could have sounded a bit more real if I really tried, the boy still looked at me with such hope that I really did grin. "I've been looking all over for a Horsea, but no one had one to trade for my Gastly." I said, lying through my teeth, not that the boy needed to know that. Gastly sent me a knowing look, though kept quiet.

"R-really?" He asked with a growing smile. I nodded in response, making a full-blown grin form on the child's face as he gave a laugh.

I crossed my arms across my chest lazily as I watched the boy laugh and dance around with Gastly, amusement plain to see on my face to the skilled eye.

"Well then, shall we actually trade?" I offered once he was done dancing, the boy quickly nodding as he grabbed my hand and dragged me off to the closest offered trade machine.

When we got there, we had to wait a brief moment for another trade that was taking place to end before we got to use the machine. While we waited, I returned Gastly to its Pokeball, the boy looking at the Dusk Ball that served as Gastly's Pokeball with half-hidden awe. I simply smiled at him.

When it was our turn, we followed the man's instructions, who was in charge of the machine. We each placed our respective Pokeball on opposite ends of the machine, the man starting it once both Pokeballs were in place. With a whirling sound, the two Pokeballs were seemingly absorbed into the machine, our Pokémon's silhouettes appearing on the monitor, one of Gastly and the other of a Horsea.

Once the images switched places with one another, the Pokeballs reappeared; Gastly's Dusk Ball with the boy and the regular red and white Pokeball that held my new Horsea with me.

After grabbing out new Pokemon, we made our way away from the crowd once again. The boy was quick to release Gastly, the Pokemon appearing with a crackle as it circled its new Trainer. I, on the other hand, shrunk my new Pokeball and placed in on my belt with a pleased smile.

After saying my thanks for the trade, I was surprised when the boy hugged me in his own thanks, repeating 'thank you' over and over again much like Nathan had when I had given him a Gastly of his own. I returned the hug as well as I could, patting the boy on top of the head in my awkwardness. Gastly laughed at me, and I countered my sticking my tongue out at it playfully.

When the boy finally released me, I gave Gastly a mock serious look.

"You be good now, Gastly. Don't get you new Trainer into too much trouble now." I said, shaking a finger at it as it circled around the boy's head. The Pokemon stuck its own tongue out at me, cackling after.

With a shake of my head, I wished the boy good luck and took my leave with a final wave at both him and my old Gastly.

What a fun first Pokemon Swap Meet.

-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Note**: Just a quick note to you all about a new Pokemon story out there. With only three chapter's at the moment, updating every Saturday, it's pretty good with lengthy chapters. I have to warn you all, though, that there is mention of gore. A lot of it, really, though not the way one would really expect. While gory, it's also rather funny with one of the main character's not all that sane. As I said, it's pretty good, just not what one would expect in terms of a Pokemon fan fiction. If you want to give it a try, it's called '**Pokémon Vigilantes: a Quest for Equality**' by **lovelylotus**.

That's all! Thanks for reading ^^


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the slight wait. It's been an interesting past week, and with the first terms of school almost over, I'm busier than usual. Got to love final's week and the weeks that lead up to it. ~Sighs~

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Five_

I met back up with Nathan a little over half an hour later in the Pokemon Center like agreed upon. Much like he had said, he still had all of his original Pokemon with him, having not traded any off for another. When I had told him about my own trade, though, he had first congratulated me, stopped to think about something, and then laughed as a look of understanding appeared on his face. It started off soft, growing until it was a full blown laughter.

With an annoyed look I 'politely' asked him just what was so funny seeing how he was laughing at me.

It took him a while to calm down enough to explain properly, something that really got on my nerves.

"Sorry, Sandra." Nathan started, trying to calm my anger. "It just occurred to me that most of your Pokemon will need an evolution stone or item if they want to evolve to their final form. You could even make a team of five with just them alone!" He finished off with another laugh, unable to stop himself.

I was more than ready to make a came back of my own when my brain kicked in after it processed just what he had said, making the words stop on the tip of my tongue.

Covering my face with my hands, I groaned in a mixture of irritation and embarrassment as he was _right_. Most of my Pokemon _would_ need evolutionary stones, evolutionary item, or in Gastly's case, a trade, in order to reach their final evolution stage.

My reaction and self-realization only caused Nathan to laugh harder.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Once Nathan had calmed back down, I switched out Raticate with Poliwhirl. If I was going to meet my newest Pokemon, I was going to be as prepared as possible by having another Water-Type ready to go if anything were to happen. Nathan had even offered the use of his Croconaw to make up from laughing at me earlier, even if he didn't mean such a thing as to be cruel.

Growlithe hadn't been all that pleased when I had told it of the newest Pokemon when I had come to get it from my room. The only reason that Growlithe tolerated Poliwhirl was because the Water-Type left it alone and didn't spray it with water like it was prone to do with wild Pokemon. So, when it came to letting out the Horsea, Growlithe had voted to stay off to the side of the outdoors Trainer's pool Nurse Joy had told us about when for a good place to train Water-Types.

With Nathan standing beside me a few feet from the edge of the mildly crowded poll, other Trainer's with their water based Pokemon scattered around as well, we first released Poliwhirl and Croconaw. After the two exchanged their greetings, I briefly explained what their job was to be concerning Horsea.

"I'm not sure how it's going to react, having been traded to me without it knowing, so I'll need you two to be ready for anything. Got it?" Poliwhirl gave a sharp salute while Croconaw puffed out it's chest and snapped it's mouth full of teeth.

"While Horseas are usually calm and shy by nature," Nathan cut in, drawing the two Pokémon's attention to him, "knowing Sandra's luck, this Horsea will be the complete opposite." He finished with a teasing grin aimed at me.

With a roll of my eyes and a shake of my head, I enlarged Horsea's Pokeball and released it into the pools water. The Pokemon appeared with a dazed expression, blinking a few times in quick succession as if to clear its head. Poliwhirl and Croconaw watched the other Pokémon's movements with a critical eye while Nathan started creeping forward to get a better look at the Horsea. I, on the other hand, stayed back and continued to watch as the events unfolded with caution at the forefront of my mind.

If there's one thing that I've learned on my journey so far, it's that it pays off to expect the unexpected and to not let one's appearance fool you. Just because a certain species is well known for a certain personality trait didn't mean that they _all_ shared it. Growlithe and the then Poliwag being prime examples for such occasions.

With these thoughts in mind, I wasn't all that surprised when as soon as Horsea gathered itself and took in its new surrounding, it took one look at Nathan, who at this point was standing at the pool's edge in between Poliwhirl and Croconaw, and spat a mouthful of ink-like substance at Nathan's face.

I covered my face with my hands, letting out a soft sigh as Nathan let out a yelp and fell backwards onto the ground at the sheer force of the hit. When I peaked at the scene from between my fingers, Nathan was rubbing at his eyes to clear the ink, but was only managing to smear the ink and stain his hands as well as his face. Poliwhirl and Croconaw hadn't wasted any time in jumping into the pool and 'restraining' the madly laughing Horsea.

This was going to be a _long_ day.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my temples in an attempt to fight off a head ach. In front of me sat one of the Pokemon Center's public computers, different prices from different stores being compared side-by-side for a Fire Stone. Much like the Moon Stone and Water Stone, it was _expensive_. No matter what store I looked up, be it one only found online or one from a major city, they were all so damn expensive! Dragon Scales were even worse, the lowest price for one being more than I carried on me at even the beginning of my journey!

At the moment, the easiest Pokemon that required special circumstances to evolve to their final form was Gastly, who only needed a trade, but even then I would have to wait a bit longer until I even got it to evolve into a Haunter.

At present time, the only way that I would ever get my hands on an evolutionary stone or item was to find one myself, something that in and of itself was easier said than done.

With a sigh, I closed out of the web page and turn off the computer. Standing, I stretched my arms above my head, popping my back in doing such. I had been sitting in front of that computer screen _much_ too long.

I waved at Nurse Joy as I passed her on my way back to my room. Nathan was already in his, planning to hide out there until the ink stain left on his face and hands from Horsea wore off. He had been utterly horrified when he found out that it was unlikely for the ink to come off within the next couple days, the poor boy.

Horsea, much like he had joked about being, was the complete opposite of 'normal' Horseas personality wise. After have spat ink at Nathan, it had proceeded to dodge both Poliwhirl's and Croconaw's attempts at catching it, making the whole thing into a sort of game by evading the two only to shot them in the face with water. It had gotten to the point where I had simply recalled the Horsea, no longer able to watch the embarrassing performance.

It would take a while until I could use the Horsea in training, much less a battle against another Pokemon.

Kicking off my shoes, I ran my fingers through my hairs with a sigh and greeted the half-awake Growlithe with a nod as I made my way to the bed. I just only managed to take off my belt and toss it beside my bag before collapsing onto the ever so soft bed.

I was so tired that I didn't even complain when Growlithe jumped up onto the bed and curled back up next to my feet, not even sparing me a glance while doing so. I simply reached over to turn off the lamp, curled up myself, and let sleep claim my mind.


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Six_

We left Palmpona a few days later, the ink stain having finally faded from Nathan's face and hands enough for him to travel again. For the moment, I planned on leaving Horsea in my Pokemon Storage until I could think up a way to get it to listen to me and actually train with the rest of my Pokemon.

As such, my current team consisted of Growlithe, Nidorino, Noctowl (three who I've silently come to think of as my main constants despite myself, them being the three Pokemon that I keep with me at all times), Flaaffy, Sandshrew, and Gastly. With currently only owning nine Pokemon total, I've worked out a system that had me switching out Flaaffy, Sandshrew, and Gastly with Raticate, Poliwhirl, and Horsea whenever we come across another town or Pokemon Center. This way I could regularly train my different Pokemon at different intervals. And when I eventually get Horsea under control, not an if, I planned on switching up my three Pokemon 'reserves' to where I had a Water-Type all the time seeing how I now have two.

Complicated…? Maybe, but it worked in its own way.

Nathan in turn had his Croconaw, Pidgeotto, Flaaffy, Raticate, Gastly, and Geodude, leaving his Ekans in his own Pokemon Storage. With not having so many Pokemon, he didn't have to yet worry about how he was to train them all, keeping them around the same power level.

At the moment, we were making our way to Len Town, a town that reportedly was surrounded by Ghost-Types. To make matters more interesting, the town's people all owned Psychic-Types in order to defend themselves against the Ghost-Types.

The logic in that being lost on me, but hey, who am I to tell an entire town that they are wrong in their views? If nothing else, it should at least be amusing to see.

Nathan was more excited in seeing more Ghost-Types than the Psychic filled town, making it that much more amusing for me. The fact that he'd taken to having Gastly out more than normal, much like how Growlithe is constantly out, only added to it all.

Who would have ever guessed that Nathan had such a love for Ghost-Types?

Getting to the town didn't take that all that long; not with Nathan tugging at my hand to get me to move faster, it didn't. We got there mid morning the next day after leaving Palmpona, though much to Nathan's disappointment, we didn't run into any Ghost Pokemon. I had to remind him that most Ghost Pokemon likes to come out during the night, not during broad daylight.

His spirits lifted after that little reminder, his excitement in going up against a wild Ghost-Type having had him forget that tidbit of information.

The town, much like how I have heard it to be, was filled with Psychic-Type Pokemon, some with their Trainer's and some out on their own. I could safely say that I've never seen so many different types of Psychic Pokemon in one spot before. There were even some Pokemon, not many, who came from different regions. All in all, I found myself impressed despite myself.

Nathan, after becoming resigned to the fact that he would have to wait until nightfall to see the different Pokemon that he wanted, had a ball going through the town and meeting all the differed Psychic-Types, much to my amusement. He had even managed to get a couple battles out of a few of the townspeople. His Gastly in particular got a lot of battling in, going up against the many different Psychics with a grin and haunting crackle of a laugh.

I had to resist banging my head against the nearest solid object more than a few times, though, when nearly all of the challengers who lost to Nathan accused him of cheating as 'there was no way that a Psychic-Type could possible lose against a Ghost-Type!'

Did these people not understand that Psychic-Types were _weak_ against Ghost-Types? How they survived for so long was going to no doubt going to remain a mystery forever.

When it came closer to dusk, we headed back to the local Pokemon Center to get our Pokemon healed one last time before heading out, wanting to be as ready as possible for the night's 'hunting' as Nathan has started to call it. I had kept with me the team that I had when I got to the town, knowing that my own Gastly might come in handy against others of its kind.

Despite myself, I found myself actually looking forward to the 'Ghost Hunting'. Besides, it wasn't as if I was going to actually let Nathan go out into the Ghost filled forest at night _alone_. If that was the case, I might as well have been sending him to an early grave!

At least, that's what I kept telling myself in an attempt to justify my reason for willing putting myself in a potential harmful situation.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Before we knew it, the sun had set and it was time when the townspeople usually settled in for the night. Flashlights in hand and Pokemon at the ready, Nathan and I gave one last wave to the Joy on duty before leaving the Center. We made a straight line for the edge of the forest, Nathan leading our small party.

Besides Nathan, Growlithe, and I, we also had our two Gastly's present and ready, as well as my Noctowl. Our Gastly's followed closely behind Nathan, speaking to one another in their language saying who knows what while Noctowl flew at a steady, slow, pace above us, always within eye sight if needed but high up enough to see the immediate surroundings.

All in all, we were ready for a night of 'Ghost Hunting'.

We wondered for close to half an hour before we encountered our first wild Ghost-Type. Incidentally, it was a small group Haunters, the evolved form of Gastly. All in all there were four of them, one for each of our present Pokemon.

To make things easier on us, I had ordered Growlithe ahead of time to use its Odor Sleuth move whenever we encountered a Ghost-Type, and Growlithe did just that without having to be told twice.

With that out of the way, it was a pretty straight forward battle for out Pokemon. Without any of the Haunters able to disappear at will while Growlithe's more remained in effect, they were unable to dodge our own Pokémon's attacks as fluidly as they would have otherwise. It didn't take long before Noctowl had beaten it's opponent and had move on to help out Nathan's Gastly, my own Gastly being able to handle its own enough to fight it's Haunter opponent into a standstill, the two going into a scare-off instead of an actual battle. Growlithe was able to fight of its own Haunter soon after Noctowl, its fur sticking up in some places from the Haunter managing to land a Lick attack, much to Growlithe's disgust.

Never let it be said that getting licked by a Ghost-Type is a fun experience.

With Noctowl's help, the third of the four Haunter's were driven off, leaving only my Gastly's Haunter opponent left.

Much to my Gastly's disappointment, Growlithe had grown tired of watching the two trying to scare the other into submission, ending their 'battle' with an Ember attack aimed at the Haunter who was quick to flee soon after giving Growlithe a glare for interrupting its fun.

With a shake of my head, we continued on with our 'hunt', Nathan once again leading the rest of us. It wasn't long after, though, that he had paused mid-step to rub the back of his head. I stopped beside him, giving him a curious look.

"Are you okay, Nathan?" I asked as I aimed my flashlight at the back of his neck where he was rubbing to look for any obvious marks or wounds only to find none.

"Yeah, I just felt like something touched my neck for a moment…"he replied, trailing off towards the end as he looked around him with a cautious eye. In response to this, I gave Growlithe a pointed look, silently telling it to be on the lookout and ready to use Odor Sleuth at a moment's notice. Growlithe simply gave a sharp nod and eyed the surroundings with a critical eye of its own.

We continued on our way, not able to do anything else at the moment besides keep moving.

Not even fifty feet later did Nathan once again stop, whirling around quickly as his hands flew up to cover his hair.

"Okay, I _know_ someone just pulled my hair." He said slowly, inching closer to me all the while.

"It's no doubt a Ghost, so calm down." I tried to soothe him as I motioned for our present Pokemon to try and find the culprit. As if turned out, they didn't have to look far as a soft, barely-there laugh caught our attention off to our side. Growlithe was quick to use its Odor Sleuth where the laugh was coming from, and unsurprisingly a Ghost Pokemon appeared. What _was_ surprising, though, was that it was alone.

What took the cake, so to speak, was just _what_ it was.

Nathan had a wild Misdreavus following him.

'_This is so not going to end well'_ I thought as I let out a sigh, eyeing the laughing Pokemon with a rather blank look.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay. With final's week coming just around the corner, school is getting a little stressful. I should be back to more updates in a week come winter break ^^


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Seven_

"Well, I hope that your happy, Nathan." I said in light sarcasm as I slowly backed up a few steps, trying to distance myself from the curious looking Misdreavus as much as possible without making it too obvious. I kept my flashlight aimed at the ground, not wanting to point the light into the wild Pokémon's face only to run the risk of it getting angry and attacking without notice. Nathan, thankfully, kept enough sense to do the same.

Growlithe casually moved to stand in front of me, trying not to draw attention to itself from the Misdreavus, while Noctowl landed on a tree's lower branch next to me. Gastly remained next to Nathan's own Gastly, both hovering above him as he continued to stare at the lazily floating Misdreavus with open interest, his look answering my previous question as he was in too much astonishment to process my question, much less verbally answer it.

The wild Misdreavus drifted closer to Nathan, an almost innocent look on its face that would have looked more convincing on any other Pokemon besides itself. I had an order on the tip of my tongue for Gastly to intervene, seeing how it was the closest, when Nathan beat me to it much to my surprise.

"Mean Look then Sucker Punch." He ordered his Gastly without breaking eye contact with the Misdreavus, a grin on his face. I found myself grinning as well, a feeling keen to sisterly pride welling up as I watched Nathan ever so calmly and easily take control of the situation.

His sudden command caught the Misdreavus off guard, but it looked as if Gastly was waiting for such a line of commands as it went about completing them without hesitation on its half. With Mean Look in place, keeping the wild Misdreavus from fleeing even if it wanted to, Nathan's Gastly quickly moved onto using sucker Punch, catching the other where it's temple would be, sending it tumbling through the air to the side, crying out it both surprise and pain. My own Gastly looked back at me for commands, but I waved it off, allowing Nathan to go up against the Misdreavus himself. Gastly, understanding my silent want, backed off to where he was out of the line of fire but still close enough to jump in if need be, much to my approval.

Nathan, not allowing the wild Pokemon a chance to counter-attack, issued his next line of commands, making me want to cheer him on, but resisting enough to only lightly bounce on the heels of my feet.

"Confuse Ray then Night Shade. Finish with Hypnosis." As he finished giving his orders, I saw him reach into his pocket and pulled out one of the Dusk Balls that I had given him right before we left.

Gastly's Confuse Ray hit the Misdreavus, the Pokemon shaking its head-like-body in an attempt to clear the move's effects. When Night Shade hit, the wild Ghost let out another pained cry, the Pokemon falling towards the ground in its confusion and pain, unable to keep itself upright in its current situation. Its eyes were open wide, looking around wildly as it tried to find what had hit it, still not in its right mind thanks to Gastly's Confuse Ray. The Gastly in question moved in for the 'kill move' so to speak, sending our red circular rings from its large eyes much like Noctowl when using it's Hypnosis.

As the red rings hit the mildly panicking Pokemon, it began relaxing its posture, its wild movements slowing as it began drifting towards the ground. Within seconds of the move hitting, the Misdreavus was sleeping on the forest's floor.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched Nathan throw the Duck Ball at the sleeping wild Pokemon, my grin and feelings of pride still in place. When the Dusk Ball clicked, signaling that the Misdreavus was caught, I laughed lightly at Nathan's change from cool and collected to that of a hyper ten year old boy who just caught a Ghost-Type on his own.

And people say it's hard to appreciate the little things.

.-.-.-.-.-.

We stayed out in the forest surround Len Town for another two hours, training our Pokemon against the seemingly countless Ghost-types. Given, we didn't run into any more Misdreavus', but the wild Gastlys, Haunters, even Gengars kept our Pokemon on their feet. We of course let out our other Pokemon as well, not just training our Gastly's, Noctowl, and Growlithe. Once we knew what we were up against in terms of Pokemon, we didn't hesitate in putting a little distance between us, close enough to help the other if needed, but far enough apart to train our respective Pokemon.

Afterwards, we headed back to the Pokemon Center, dropped off our Pokemon to be healed, and headed to bed after Nathan had promised to deposit one of his seven Pokemon into his Storage in the morning after they were all healed.

All in all, it was a good night. So much so, in fact, that we had both agreed on spending another couple of days to get in some more Ghost-Type exclusive training for our Pokemon. As such, I switched out my team of Pokemon each morning to give them all a fair amount of training against the Ghost Pokemon, and with Growlithe around I didn't have to worry about Normal-Types moves being a problem, allowing Raticate as much chance to train against them as the rest of my Pokemon.

By the end of our stay in the small town, I was proud to say that not only my Gastly, but Nathan's Gastly as well, both evolved into Haunters respectively.

About time, too.

Nathan's new Misdreavus had taken an entire day for Nathan to win over after catching it, the Pokemon none too pleased about the way it was captured. It had finally taken a rematch against Nathan's then Gastly, in which it still lost, for it to calm down and become an official member of Nathan's team.

The same still couldn't be said concerning my Horsea, much to my slowly growing annoyance. While not expecting the Pokemon to like me, understanding that it would no doubt take a while for it to get over the fact that its pervious Trainer had traded it off without it exactly knowing, its attitude regarding not only me, but Nathan and my Pokemon were beginning to get to me. More than once, we been sprayed with water or ink when I had released it from its Pokeball to train or try to make a compromise with much like how I had with Growlithe.

It had reached the point where I didn't even want to let it out anymore.

Without Nathan's urging to keep trying to get through to the Pokemon, I hold no doubt that I would have simply left it in my Pokemon Storage Box for the rest of my journey and just be done with it. And how tempting that thought was.

Half way to the next town, Florando, I had once again released my Horsea into a small pond that we had come across. This time, though, I had a plan in mind that would hopefully solve my 'little' problem with my ill-mannered Pokemon.

Expecting the shot of water to the face, I managed to duck out of the way in time. With Growlithe and Nathan at a safe distance away, I didn't have to worry about them getting hit either. I had told them of my plan ahead of time when we first reached the pond, and while Nathan didn't exactly like it per-say, he had relented in the end. Growlithe had been more than pleased with it, though, having me give it a tired smile as thanks for its support.

Horsea had seemed momentarily confused, as this was usually when Poliwhirl and Croconaw would jump into the water to 'restrain' it, followed shortly after with my trying to talk to it as politely as possible until I would eventually return it in frustration. It had become as much of a routine as Horsea trying to nail us with water or ink. It not happen was more than enough to give the Water-Type pause.

"That is enough of that." I started in a hard voice, all patience gone as I crossed my arms over my chest while giving the startled Horsea a just as hard look. "The next time that you try such a move on me, Nathan, or any of our Pokemon without being ordered too will have you spending the rest of your days inside your Pokeball from my storage." While not exactly true, for I'm not nearly cruel enough to do such a thing to a Pokemon, Horsea didn't need to know that. And if worst really to worst, well, I'd think of something then. "I'm tired of this routine." I finished off with a warning in my tone.

If nothing, I was a great actress when needed.

Horsea blinked in quick succession a few times, silent as it absorbed just what all I had said to it. Behind me, I head Nathan let out a sigh, but besides that, they were also silent. The ball was, in all manners of speaking, in Horsea's court. It's next action would determine its placement on my team of Pokemon, and it seemed as if Horsea had finally come to realize that.

With a sullen glare that seemed out of place on such a 'cute' Pokemon, the Water-Type seemed to give a huff through its nose like mouth as it stayed still, lightly bobbing in the water of the small pond.

With a victorious look, I nodded to the Horsea as the two of us began its first, real, training practice as a Pokemon on my team.

And people say that one can win over any other if given enough opportunities to show them one's kindness.

Yeah, right. We'll just let those keep living in their ideal world with their rose-tinted glasses.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: So, good news everyone! Finals are officially over come next Wednesday! What that means, in other words, is that soon I'll be able to update more chapters a week instead of just one! That, and I will no longer have to worry about dying from stress overload ^o^ Three cheers for final's week coming to a close in just a few more days!


	39. Chapter Thirty Eight

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Eight_

We reached Florando a few days later, the trip taking longer than it would it since Nathan and I kept stopping to train our Pokemon. With Horsea finally listening to me for the most part, there still being times where it ignores me to do as it pleases, I had set out to at least try in bringing it up to speed with the rest of my Pokemon in terms of power and defense.

Nathan, on the other hand, was busy with his new Misdreavus who liked to pull pranks more than train. While the Pokemon would listen to Nathan in the beginning of their training sessions, it would soon grow uninterested and go onto pulling pranks on any surrounding wild Pokemon, and on a few occasions, other Pokemon Trainer's.

We both had our work cut out for us with our Pokemon.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Florando was a big city. By far it was one of the biggest that we have come across yet. There were buildings at every corner, lining the streets with cars flying past us on the roads themselves. Even the Pokemon Center was larger than what we were use to, being a staggering four stories tall.

The lobby of the Pokemon Center was overflowing with other Trainer's, there being a line to get to the front counter that stretched from the front doors. Those who weren't in line were surrounding us on both sides, yelling over one another to be heard. Nathan had to cling onto the back of my shirt in order to not lose me in the crowd, Growlithe pressed against my legs as it snarled out at any Trainer who got too close to it.

All in all, it was pure craziness stuffed into one large room that seemed too small. It was like the Pokemon Swap Meet in Palmpona all over again, only this time much, _much_ worse.

After being elbowed in the ribs for the third time in under ten minutes, I was ready to snap and yell none to nicely at the next person who so much as touched me, my arms protectively around Nathan in front of my after he had been knocked to the floor by an older Trainer who had tried pushing his way through the mass of bodies. My sisterly/motherly instincts were in over drive after that, pulling Nathan up as I snarled at the boy who pushed him down to watch his step with Growlithe offering backup by taking a threatening step to the older boy with its teeth bared, a vicious growl aimed at the stranger.

That performance had given us a half minute's worth of space around the three of us before things went back to how they were, though this time around the Trainer's surrounding us were a little more cautious.

Not that that lasted that long before I was once again fighting off shoves, elbows, and rude Trainer's who were just plain full of themselves, thinking that they could just push their way through to the front of the line.

I hate crowds. And at this point, I also hated people in general as well, minus the whimpering Nathan clinging onto my shirt for protection as I took another shove in the back. I didn't even want to think about how terrible this already bad situation would be if I didn't had Growlithe out to scare off a fair amount of the Trainer's from getting to close to us.

My respect for the ferociously growling and snarling Pokemon at my side grew just thinking of the possibilities.

.-.-.-.-.-.

An hour. It took an entire _hour_ to reach the front counter of the Pokemon Center. I had to suffer through an hour of being within a crowd full of people who didn't seemed to understand the concept of simply waiting in a line, wanting to instead start fights with fellow Trainer's and do as they please. On more than one occasion did an actual brawl between Trainer's break out, those that happened thankfully nowhere near Nathan, Growlithe, and I.

I was pretty sure that I would already have a nice couple of bruises already on my sides and back; I didn't need any more on the face or any other part of my already battered body. Though, to be fair, some of my hits had come from taking them instead of Nathan receiving them, the poor boy having clung onto me the entire time with a fearful look at the sheer amount of bodies surrounding us. With a look like that on him, I was more than ready to protect him as much as I could, even if that meant taking a couple more hits to the ribs than I would have had otherwise. At this point in time I pretty much considered him my adopted little brother, so I would do my best to protect him as such.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center! How might I help you?" Nurse joy half asked, half yelled once we reached the front counter.

"Two rooms and our Pokemon healed!" I had to yell back to answer, my throat already soar and raw from having yelled more in the past hour then I have in my entire sixteen years of life.

She eyed Nathan and me for a moment before speaking/yelling again. "Would you two mind sharing a room? As you can see we're running low already! There would be two beds of course!"

I spared a moment to look at Nathan to see if he cared either way, but his face was pressed into my chest, his arms and hands that were to desperately holding onto me for support shaking. I nodded to the overworked Joy as a silent 'yes', ready to agree to anything to get Nathan out of the lobby as quickly as possible.

As Nurse Joy sent about getting our room key, she took a brief moment to slide across two trays to place our respective Pokeballs in. For the briefest of moments, I feared about my Pokemon becoming lost in the sea of other Pokeballs that the Joy no doubt had to heal, but I pushed the thought away as I gently nudged Nathan, trying to get his attention. It took a few nudges before he looked up at me, his eyes wide and I swear that his eyes were glistening with tears. I gave him a tired smile as I motioned with my head to the front counter or more specifically, the trays meant for our Pokeballs.

Nathan turned his head slowly, still clinging to the front of my shirt, and when he saw that we were in front, his grip slackened just the slightest. With one hand still wrapped around his shoulder, I went about the process of removing my own Pokeballs one by one, placing them in one of the trays that I had claimed for myself. Nathan copied my actions, one hands clutching onto my shirt while the other placed his Pokeballs within the other tray. Before long, both trays were full, mine only holding five of my six with Growlithe having already hopped up onto the counter, taking its new height advantage to stare the other Trainer's behind me in the eye as it showed off its gleaming teeth at them, a growl just loud enough to be head over all the noise having a fair amount of the surround people back off just the slightest. Nathan went back to using me as a shield, both of my arms once again around him as I stared straight ahead, silently willing Nurse Joy to hurry back.

Thankfully, Nurse Joy did come back not long after, giving me an apologetic smile for making us wait. With a sign of my name, I grabbed the offered room key and told the tired looking Joy which tray full of Pokeballs belonged to whom, as well as warning her about Growlithe's 'quirks'.

With a farewell to the Joy and a nod and thankful smile to Growlithe, I carefully lead Nathan and I towards the elevator. The process a little more difficult than it would have been if Growlithe was still with us. None the less, we made it with a few more shoves and hits from surrounding Trainer's and glares and snarls of my own on my part. Much to my relief, once we hit the elevator, things calmed down and before I knew it, we were in our small room, a bunk bed pushed up against the wall with a small side table next to it and a door leading off the to the separate bathroom.

Dropping my things on the lower bunk, taking Nathan's things and placing them off to the side as I helped Nathan climb up to the top bunk. Before long, he was under the covers and passed out, the day's events being a little too much for him. I myself was soon to follow, collapsing on my own bed with a groan.

Yeah, I was so going to be sporting some colorful bruises.

Hopefully come tomorrow things would calm down enough for me to find out just what was going on in this town.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	40. Chapter Thirty Nine

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Thirty Nine_

I made my way down to the first floor a little after six the next morning, hoping to beat the crowd that would no doubt appear later. When the elevator chimed and it slid open to reveal a mostly empty lobby, there only being a small handful of older Trainer's present, I let out a sigh of relief and made my way to the front counter.

I ignored my fellow Trainer's, they returning the favor and ignoring me right back. I was still on edge from yesterday and really wasn't in the mood to deal with another human being unless unavoidable, the Nurse of the Center being one of those people on my extremely short (two person) list. Thankfully, I've noticed that most of the older Trainer's, those around my age or only a year or so younger, tended to keep to themselves unless asking for battle's.

Reaching the front counter, I tapped the top of the bell that would call out the Joy who runs the Center, wanting to get Nathan's and my Pokemon as fast as possible. I was momentarily surprised, though, when a woman who was clearly _not_ a Joy appeared to answer my 'summons'.

Was this even allowed…? Wasn't there some unspoken rule about how only a Joy can run Pokemon Centers? She didn't even have the bright, bubble-gum pink, hair that the Joy's were so famous for (besides being, you know, identical looking)!

"How may I help you?" She asked in a too perky voice, one that just grates on one's nerves no matter what the speaker did unlike a Joy's whose was commonly soft and held the right amount of 'perkiness' to it.

Blinking, I had to mentally shake my head in order to answer without asking a rude question that would no doubt make staying in the Center difficult.

"Uh, yeah. I'm hoping to pick up me and my traveling partner's Pokemon…" I trailed off, tilting my head as I tried to think back to yesterday. I could have sworn that a Joy had originally signed us in.

"Of course! If you could just let me know your room number and sign your name here, here, and here I'll be happy to retrieve you're Pokemon." She chirped back as she pulled out a clipboard from behind the counter, pointing out to me just where I was supposed to sign my name.

I blinked again, looking over the papers that had been pushed at me with perfectly manicured hands.

"I've never had to sign these before…" I commented more to myself than her, though she still took it upon herself to answer.

"We always have Trainer's fill out these paper's here around this time of year. With so many different Trainers wanting their Pokemon healed at one time, it gets a little difficult for us at times to keep track of whose are whose." Here I gave her a shrewd look that she either didn't understand, or simply refused to acknowledge. "These papers are basically just outlining that you have received your Pokemon, and not another Trainer's, or if you did receive another Trainer's Pokemon, you've returned them to the Pokemon Center as a correction."

I gave the unnamed nurse a skeptical look, not liking the fact that I had to sign a virtual 'Don't Sue Us' waver to get back my Pokemon. The fact that my earlier fear yesterday about the possibility of my Pokemon becoming lost in the mass of different Pokeballs had a chance of coming true was not a comforting thought.

"Just what _is_ going on that's having so many Trainer's here at one time?" I asked offhandedly as I read the papers more carefully. I didn't want to sign anything that could came back to bite me in the butt. One good thing that I had learned from school; always read the paper front to back before you sign your name as once you sign it, and something were to go wrong, you could have very little say in the matter when it really counts.

The no-named nurse started to lose her look of forced perkiness, her impatience peaking though at me simply not signing the papers. "It's the towns annual Pokemon Exhibition held once a year here in Florando. It's in all sense a gigantic outdoor Pokémon entertainment festival where Pokemon Trainers and Pokemon come from around the world to put on shows and perform. It's also the main reason why Florando is so famous."

I made a humming noise in the back of my throat, showing that I heard her as I continued to read the last paragraph of the paper. It was as she had said, though in more accurate wording seeing how it was a 'legal contact' of sorts. With a frown, still none too happy with the whole situation, I signed my name where the woman had pointed out to me earlier.

Handing the signed papers back to the woman, I told her Nathan's and my room number, showing the key that I had received yesterday to prove my claim. I had to bite my tongue to hold back the comment that I wanted to make about that flawed system of checking; anyone could steal a room key and claim to be picking up Pokemon that comes with the room if they knew the name of the person who was staying in the room. I mean, the least that they could do was ask for a check of our Pokemon I.D.!

As the woman left to get Nathan's and my Pokemon, I leaned against the counter with a sigh, rubbing my temple in an attempt to fight off an oncoming headache. This town was really starting to get to me and I hadn't even been in it for a full day. I already couldn't wait 'till we left, wanting nothing more than to keep moving onto the next town and get this damn journey done and over with. So far the only good thing that had come out of it were my current Pokemon, I wasn't going to lie to myself, and meeting Nathan, my adopted little brother.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Growlithe, the Pokemon having hopped up onto the counter without a sound, the nurse flustered looking a she quickly followed after my Pokemon, the two trays that held Nathan's and my other Pokemon in her hands. Growlithe turned its head to give the woman a glare before turning back towards me, its tail fluffed out and held high as it jumped off the counter. Landing next to me, my Pokemon gave a huff of a growl as it moved to stand behind me, out of the line of sight of the nurse.

I probably should have warned her about Growlithe's attitude concerning other humans…. Oh well, what's done is done.

I couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on my lips as I thought that last bit, the picture of Growlithe lashing out on the woman before me coming to mind amusing me more than it should have.

The want-a-be Nurse set down the two trays, going to fix her outfit and hair as soon as they were slid across to me. She aimed a glare at me, something that I responded to by smirking just that much more.

With a tip of my head in mockery bow, I picked up my Pokeballs first, quickly setting them back onto my belt, before grabbing Nathan's and stuffing them into my Pockets, three in each pocket.

Mindful about Growlithe standing right behind my legs, I first moved to my side before taking a step back, planning to head back to my shared room to wake Nathan. He might just like this big Pokemon Exhibition after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan had, as I had thought, liked the idea of going to visit the Pokemon Exhibition. As such, we planned out our day accordingly.

After another trip down to the front counter, asking for more information about the event much to the no-named nurse's displeasure, we stopped for a quick breakfast and planned out what we wanted to do.

The event didn't actually 'start' until nine, giving us a little under an hour and a half to wonder. We used the time to find booths that we wanted to come back to when they were actually open, the same with finding offered Pokemon shows that were being held at different times throughout the day. It got to the point where I was making a small list of all the different things and times that we needed.

The streets began to slowly fill with others around a little after eight-thirty. Come nine, the official opening time, the streets were packed with people, much like how things had been in the Pokemon Center the day before. The only difference being that it was louder and it was even more crowded given that there were people that weren't only Trainers were out as well. The only up side was that we weren't being completely surrounded like in the Pokemon Center given that we were now outside with more than enough room for everyone present.

Growlithe still acted as bodyguard none the less, sticking to my side like glue and keeping people from getting to close to Nathan and me with snarls and bared teeth. When Nathan would run ahead to get to a booth or show that he really wanted to see, Growlithe would trail after him to keep him safe, myself trailing after my suddenly protective Pokemon and hyper friend.

Around ten, though, any enjoyment that I had been having flew out the window.

Nathan had just ran ahead of me after point out the booth that he was heading to, one where you could win a prize if you knocked down a stack of bottles, Growlithe following soon after the excited ten year old after sharing a look with me. I had simply chuckled and made my way after them, like I had been doing for the past hour, when a body knocked into me from behind. While this wasn't unusual, the action having happened more than once despite Growlithe's best efforts to prevent it, the fact that the one who had knocked into me simply ran off after doing so without so much of an apology made me pause.

As I watched the little girl with dull blue hair run off, the sudden urge to check for all of my belongings over took me, my hands moving to pat down my pockets for my wallet and Pokegear, next being my Pokeballs around my waist. My left hand froze when it came across an empty space where Nidorino's Pokeball should have been, my face paling. It was gone; Nidorino's Pokeball was _gone_! I might not love the little guy, but he was my first Pokemon! He was _mine_, damn it!

My mind went straight to the little girl who had 'bumped' into me not even a minute ago, my sight going red. Like hell was I going to stand for her stealing one of _my_ Pokemon.

Bringing my right hand up to my lips, I gave the loudest whistle that I could, just like my mother taught me when I was younger. It was loud, cringe worthy for those next to me, but it's what I needed as not even second later I saw Growlithe turn around and head back to me after barking at Nathan. With Growlithe on its way, I reached for Noctowl's Pokeball and released the large Flying-Type into the air, quickly followed by Haunter.

With my selected Pokemon around me, Nathan following after while giving me a curious look, I ignored the people around me who were giving me strange looks and gave my orders with a sharpness that I hadn't shown my Pokemon with since I had first started out.

"Nidorino had been taken from me." Nathan gave me a wide eyed look, his mouth dropping open slightly at my claim. "I want you all to split up and find a blue haired child, female, a little shorter than Nathan here. I think that she is the one who took him, and I want him _back_." I hissed out the last part, my mind and possessive nature screaming for vengeance. "She ran off in this direction," I said, pointed out where she had disappeared to, "but she might have headed in another direction afterwards." I gave my three present Pokemon a determined look, a look which was returned by all three of them.

"Sandra," Nathan tugged at my shirt to get my attention. I looked at him, trying to get rid of my scowl as I didn't want to scare him off. "Let me help. My Pokemon can help yours in finding Nidorino."

My scowl did lessen at that, turning into a grateful smile. I nodded my thanks as he selected three of his own Pokemon to help in my search. He released his one at a time, the first being Pidgeotto who went and joined Noctowl in the air, the two taking off soon after Nathan and I explained what was going one. Pidgeotto was quickly followed by Misdreavus, who went off with Haunter, and finally Raticate who left with Growlithe.

Once all of our Pokemon had left, Nathan and I began our own search for the blue haired child.

I knew coming to this event was a bad idea…

'_Just wait, Nidorino, we're coming for you.'_

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Merry Christmas for all of those who celebrate it! I guess you all can think of this chapter as my Christmas present for you ^^

With school out for winter break and finals finally over (Yay) I hope to release more chapters in shorted waiting periods. I hope that this chapter was to everyone's liking. I've been looking forward to writing it for a while now…


	41. Chapter Forty

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty_

I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming in pure frustration. Instead, I settled for roughly running my fingers through my hair as I watched Nathan's Pidgeotto fly off after leading me to yet another dead end in terms of finding the little blue haired girl. This had been the third time that it had happened, once with Noctowl and Pidgeotto, and twice with Haunter and Misdreavus.

Nathan gave me a worried look, picking up on my suppressed anger. I tried to give him a comforting smile, but it was more of a wince than a smile. Ruffling up his hair to make up for my failed smile, I continued walking the streets, weaving through the mass of people with Nathan holding onto my hand while trailing behind me to keep from getting lost himself.

Silently, I cursed myself for not getting a better look at the child. I was usually more observant than this, trying to take in all of my surrounding to keep things like this from happening. Figures that that one time that I tried to relax and lower my guard, I would get one of my Pokemon stolen from me.

My frown deepened at the thought, my bad mood worsening bit by bit as time went on. Though it had only been about fifteen minutes since Nidorino had been taken, it felt like hours to me. Any surprise that I might have felt for having such feelings concerning my Pokemon was pushed to the back of my mind for the time being, my mind focused only on getting back my stolen Pokemon. I would allow myself to go over my emotions later, when Nidorino was back in my possession.

Shoving my way through a group of teenagers that had refused to get out of the way, something that I wouldn't have done if I was in my right mind, I ignored their outraged calls and continued on my way.

Nothing was going to stop me from getting back my starter. I could only hope, though, that Growlithe and Raticate were having more luck that the other searching Pokemon, much less Nathan and me.

.-.-.-.-.-.

She ran as stealthy as she could through the crowd, trying not to draw attention to herself all the while trying to get as far away from the woman as fast as possible. Her hand was onto the woman's Pokeball in a death grip, the child's mind on a high from actually managing to take one off of the stranger's belt.

'_Just wait until brother sees! He'll be so proud!'_ She thought with a giggle as she slipped inside a side ally that was halfway blocked from a large booth. Without the presence of others, she looked over her 'spoils', as her brother would call it. The blue haired child was slightly put out to find that it wasn't the Great Ball that she had been aiming for, instead one of the regular red and white Pokeballs that had been beside the great Ball.

With a huff, she tucked the Pokeball inside her jean's pocket. It was better than nothing, she supposed, and hopefully with it she'd be able to finally prove to her older brother that she could handle herself just as well as he could. Now he'd have to let her go out and join him for 'work'!

With another childlike laugh, she started walking again, her spirit lifted at that thought. In her excitement, she never noticed the Raticate at the opening of the alley that she had entered not long ago who had watched the blue-haired child place the Pokeball in her pants pocket. With a snap of his sharp teeth, the Pokemon turned to his assigned partner, an equally fearsome Growlithe.

Few words were shared between the two before the Raticate took off after their new target, Growlithe following behind at a distance, her ears perked forward and a glare in her eyes as she eyed the now skipping human child. She had to fight back the growl that was starting at the back of her throat, wanting to remain unseen until they knew for certain that this human child was the one who had stolen her own human's Pokemon.

In the mean time, she was content to waiting and watching, allowing the other human's Raticate to use his well-known species as an advantage to get closer to the human child than she would have been able to.

Growlithe might not particularly hold any real love for the human that was known as her Trainer, but that didn't mean that she would let another human to steal one of her teammates if she could help it. Despite her best attempts, she was slowly finding herself warming up the her Trainer, her protective nature that her own species were known for beginning to surface while around her human and her human's traveling partner.

Growlithe was brought out of her thoughts when their target reached a back door, the human stopping to look around her, overlook Raticate who had quickly moved into the appearance of nothing more than another wild Raticate going through the garbage lining the ally's walls. Growlithe herself was missed entirely as she quickly crouched down behind a small pile of boxes leaning against, her form hidden from view.

At the opening of a door, Growlithe laid her ears flat against her head as she peaked around the boxes, watching as the human child walked thru the open doorway and inside a building, the door being shut behind her once thru.

Growlithe and Raticate shared a look, the large rat-like Pokemon silently creeping forward towards the door, pressing one of his ears against it, listening for any movement on the other side that would signal other humans approaching.

After a few silent moments, Raticate drew its head away from the door and gave a sharp nod to Growlithe, Growlithe now creeping forward. Upon reaching Raticate, the Fire-Type pressed her own ear against the door.

At first, there was silence. Then, a high pitched whine became hearable to her.

"But _brother_, I did exactly as you do! I didn't get caught or anything, either!" The human girl Growlithe decided.

"No, Abby, you didn't do 'exactly as I do'." Another voice, male is she was hearing right, said in a tone that her human only used when in a bad mood. "I never take during broad daylight, for one, and how do you know that you weren't seen? Or even worse, weren't followed? Did you even check to see if someone was behind you before you come back here?"

Growlithe didn't hear the human child's response, it being too soft for her to pick up on through the thick door.

"Well, let's see just what Pokemon you managed to snag." The male human said, his words drawn out as if annoyed but no longer acting on the annoyance.

There was a brief pause, Growlithe pressing her ear closer to the door in case she was to miss anything. Raticate, remaining the lookout for the moment, gave her a curious look but remained silent otherwise.

"Oh shi-!" The male human started, but was cut off by an angry bellow that Growlithe was quite familiar with after training with the other for so long.

Nidorino.

Just as quick as the other Pokémon's angry roar had appeared, it disappeared, no doubt having been recalled by one of the humans who held his Pokeball. The thought made keeping in her snarl hard, the Fire-Type not liking how another human was in possession of _her_ human's Pokemon.

Raticate and Growlithe shared another look. Without having to speak to one another, Raticate dashed off to find their respective humans, leaving Growlithe to stay behind and keep watch.

With Raticate gone, Growlithe backed away from the door, taking refuge back with the pile of cardboard boxes.

She had done her part, doing as her human had asked of her. All that was left to do now was to wait until her human showed up.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I gave one last apology to the family before me, or more specifically the small, blue-haired girl that was with them. Behind me floated Haunter and Misdreavus, the two having been the ones who had led me to yet another dead end. The mother grabber her daughter's hand, giving me one last glare before tugging her away, the father giving me a dirty look of his own as he followed after his wife and child.

Once they were out of sight I rubbed my forehead, letting out a soft sigh, partly from embarrassment and partly from my building worry. I knew that Nidorino could take care of himself if need be, but who knew if he would be able to get out of his Pokeball in time, or if he even knew that he was stolen from me.

Haunter floated in front of me, giving me a guilty look for having been wrong yet again. I offered my Pokemon an uneasy smile and shook my head, silently telling it that I wasn't blaming it nor was I anger with it. Haunter gave me another sad look before drifting back to join Nathan's Misdreavus, who was for once doing as Nathan had asked of it and really trying to help find my stolen Pokemon.

Just as I was about to send them off again, a familiar looking Raticate caught my eye. I nudged Nathan and pointed out the Raticate who was running towards us with a determined look. Nathan confirmed my thoughts about it being his Pokemon, yelling out its name once he also spotted it. When it reached us, Nathan bent down and gave the Pokemon a scratch behind its ear before asking it if it and Growlithe found the child who took Nidorino.

Raticate gave a nod, its tail flicking back and forth all the while, from what emotion I couldn't tell. Without having to be asked, it turned and went back the way it came, Nathan and I hot on its heels with Haunter and Misdreavus on either side of me up above.

It didn't take long before Raticate started slowing its pace, leading us behind a booth into an alley that I would have missed if it had not been shown to me. Nathan and I remained silent, neither knowing what to say as we followed Raticate down the alley, avoiding the garbage bags and other such trash items. About a dozen feet inside the alley, my eyes were drawn to Growlithe, my Pokemon looking at the rest of us eagerly. I spared my Pokemon a nod as it moved from its spot and ever so softly made its way to a wooden door that had seen better days. Sitting in front of the door, I could easily understand its silent message to me.

'You can find Nidorino's thief thru here.'

Once Growlithe was sure I understood it, it moved to stand by my side, Nathan standing on my other with Raticate in front of him. Seeing how Haunter and Misdreavus were still floating above us, I motioned for them to come closer. If I planned this just right, we could find out just what we were dealing with.

When Haunter was close enough to me, I began speaking in the softest voice I could manage, loud enough for the Pokemon and Nathan to hear.

"Haunter, I need you to go inside and find out just how many people are in there without being seen. Can you do that for me?"

Haunter gave me an eager nod, ready to make up for all of its false alarms. It wasted no time in disappearing from view, becoming a true Ghost.

We had to wait for a couple of minutes before Haunter shimmered back into view, there being no other word for it, a large grin on its face.

I started listing off numbers, starting from one and going up, Haunter shaking its head-like body no until I reached the number five. I gave a light wince; there were five people inside.

"Are all of them armed?" I asked hopefully. When Haunter once again shook its head as a no, I let out a breath and watched as Haunter bobbed in the air three times. "Only three have Pokemon?" I asked, not quite sure what my Pokemon meant by the bobbing but guessing anyways. When Haunter gave a nod to confirm my question, I matched it grin for grin.

"I have one more favor to ask of you, Haunter, if you're up for it." I said in a challenging tone with a sly smirk, knowing that if for some strange reason my Pokemon _wouldn't_ willingly help, my challenge would perk its interest. When Haunter gave a curious look, I explained my plan to not only it, but Nathan and the other present Pokemon as well.

When they all understood it, as well as their parts, we went into action. Haunter disappeared once again while Misdreavus flew off, in search of Noctowl and Pidgeotto. Growlithe took a position in front of me, much like how Raticate was standing with Nathan.

Here goes nothing.


	42. Chapter Forty One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty One_

Haunter reappeared a few minutes after leaving to do what I had asked of it. While it had been gone I had released my Flaaffy to join our little group that was slowly growing. The usually lazy and laid back Pokemon blinked, looking around its unusual surrounds as I was quick in explain the situation to it as well as telling it its part in the plan. My Electric-Type seemed to stand taller, its eyes serious for a change as it wool around its neck began charging electricity. I gave it an approving look as I waited for Haunter to appear. When it did, it gave me a wide grin and dark crackle of a laugh that only Ghost-Types could seem to pull off. I gave it a nod to show my thanks for its work.

With those inside the building put to sleep thanks to Haunter's Hypnosis, though for how long was uncertain, we made our next move. We had to hurry if we hoped to get in and out before one of them woke.

I briefly thought about getting the Police involved, as it was technically their job to deal with such situations as this, but the thought left just as quickly as it entered. Nidorino was my Pokemon, and there was no way I was going to let someone else, even an officer of the law, help get him back as it was my own carelessness which got him taken in the first place.

I motioned for Nathan to hang back behind me as I moved to the door that Growlithe had pointed out earlier, trying the handle only for it to be locked. Cursing under my breath, I rapidly went through possible plans on how to fix the newest road-block. I sent a look back to Haunter who was at the moment floating above Growlithe, looking over our surroundings with vague interest. While it _could_ just go through the door and unlock it from the inside, I really didn't want to keep depending on it like this, but there was no other real option at this point in time.

"Haunter." I said just loud enough to catch its attention. It drifted over to me with another grin, as if it knew what I wanted of it. "I need you to unlock the door for me. Can you do it?"

Haunter passed through the door without having to be asked twice and within seconds I head a light 'click' and I could easily turn the door handle open. I opened the door just wide enough for me and my group to fir through, letting them get through first. Just as I was about to step inside myself, the sudden appearance of Nathan's Misdreavus in the alley made me pause, the Pokemon giving a light cry of its name as it was soon followed by Noctowl and Pidgeotto. The two landed neatly on the ground of the alley, Noctowl giving a trill as it tilted its head to the side.

I gave the three a nod as Misdreavus drifted past me to meet back up with Nathan. I ignored the Pokemon for the moment and focused on the two Flying-Types.

"I need you two to keep a lookout for me, making sure that no one leaves this building until Nathan and I are out. Can you two do that?"

Noctowl answered with a determined trill, opening its wings and was back up in the air, circling the building with Pidgeotto close behind after giving a much softer trill of its own.

With them in place, I finally slipped past the door, closing it softly behind me. Facing the group of Pokemon and Nathan, I gave them a silent nod and made my way to the front of the group, Flaaffy right next to me on one side and Growlithe on the other with Haunter trailing behind me next to Misdreavus, Nathan behind me with his Raticate next to him.

My first impression of the inside of the building was that it was a complete mess. The floor was covered in dirt and trash, ranging from empty cans to old wrappings. The walls had spray pain lining them, what wallpaper that could be made out pealing. The worst part, though, was by far the horrible smell that became apparent as soon as you entered. It was a cross between rotten eggs and sour milk, the faint scent of week old laundry thrown in to the mix.

Fighting off the great urge to gag, I pressed my hand to my nose and mouth in a vain attempt to block out the smell, Nathan way ahead of me by covering his lower face with his shirt. Our Pokemon were fairing no better, either, sadly.

My want to get Nidorino and get out going up even more, I began walking down the first hallway that I came across, which as my luck would have it, lead me to a small side room as well as one of the five sleeping humans. He was an older boy, around my age if not older, slumped over the arm of a ratty old couch. With dirty, greasy brown hair, he didn't look like much, his cloths no better looking than the building that he was staying in.

After going through his pockets in search of any hidden weapons or Pokeballs, I shook my head silently to my group; he was clean item's wise.

Backing up, I nodded towards Flaaffy who didn't need any more urging to take my place before the sleeping teen, its wool-like-fur one again charging, sparks dancing along its body. With a huff and hunch forward, the sparks dancing along Flaaffy's body jumped towards the human, effectively paralyzing his muscles as well as waking him up.

With Flaaffy remaining in front of me, staring down the startled teen, I casually crossed my arms over my chest and adapted an apathetic look as I watched the unknown teen jerk his arms and legs in an attempt to move. It didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't alone in the room, his eyes landing first on Flaaffy then on me, a nasty sneer on his face as he snarled at me.

"Who the hell are you?" He tried moving again, but his muscles only made more jerking movements, not yet working properly after Flaaffy's Thunder Wave. "What the hell you do to me?"

I raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that no doubt silently asked if he was an idiot after giving the still electric charged Flaaffy in front of me. The teen had the decency to flush, through from anger or embarrassment was left unanswered.

Ignoring his previous questions, I instead asked one of my own.

"All I want is my Pokemon back, plain and simple." He made another try at moving his limbs, but only succeeded in knocking himself off the arm of the couch and onto the floor. Giving the man an annoyed look, I continued on with my actual question. "Might you happen to know where I could find a blue haired girl by any chance? She took my starter, you see, and I really, _really_, hate thieves." My tone was as cold as I could get it, which wasn't all that hard as my mood wasn't all that good to start with. I crouched down, balancing on the toes of my feet as I looked over the twitching teen. When it looked as if he was gaining back proper functions of his body, Flaaffy threw another Thunder Wave at him without having to be asked.

I gave a brief moment to wonder if the constant use of Thunder Wave on a human would have any bad side effects, but pushed the thought to the back of my mind for the moment. I could worry about such a fact later, once I had Nidorino back in my possession.

"Don't know what your talkin' 'bout." He managed to bite out; glaring at me all the while of his body jerked from the paralyzing electricity flowing throw his body.

I gave him a near disappointed look before shaking my head sadly and standing. Glancing over my shoulder at Haunter, I sighed. "Might as well put him back under, Haunter. He won't tell us anything."

Haunter gave one of its mad crackles as it moved towards the crippled human on the floor, wasting no time in using Hypnosis on him once again.

With the still unknown teen back asleep, we moved back the way we came to try another way. We didn't even get the chance to leave the room, though, when a 'thump' sounded from our left, on the other side of the wall. I shared a curious look with Growlithe and Nathan before sending Haunter on ahead to go check out what made the noise while the rest of us found our way to the room.

We moved as quickly as we could, given our group number. I kept the area where I thought the noise came from in mind as I made my way in that direction, Nathan still behind me. Just as we reached the door where I was sure that noise came from, Haunter's crackle of a laugh caught my attention before it was drowned out by an angry roar of a yell, one that could belong to only one Pokemon; Nidorino.

I felt myself give a silly grin as my pace quickened. I finally found him.

Sparing a moment's look at Nathan and the Pokemon surrounding me, I opened the door that separated me from my starter.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was of course Nidorino himself, his large purple body in the center of the room as it stared down two humans, one an older boy, once again around my age, and the other a certain blue haired girl, said girl clutching at the older boy's arms, the two pressed us against the side wall with the boy shielding the girl with his body. Nidorino let out another bellow, lowering his head so that his horn was leveled with the two humans, pawing at the ground as he readied to charge them.

No matter how much I was all for revenge for having Nidorino taken from me, I still had enough morals left to not just stand by and watch my said stolen Pokemon skewer two fellow humans. As such I took a step into the room, garnering the boy's and girl's attention, the girl's eyes seeming to widen even more than they already where as a look of recognition flashed on her face upon seeing me. The boy switched his attention back to Nidorino after giving me a once over, trying to casually move himself and the girl out of Nidorino's way.

Seeing enough, I tried to take charge of the situation before it got out of hand more so than it already had.

"Nidorino." I spoke in a commanding voice, one that I usually reserved for training and battles. Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned my head just enough to see a madly grinning Haunter drifting towards me and for the first time I saw just where Nidorino's Pokeball was, it being gripped in one of Haunter's unattached hands. With a thankful nod aimed towards Haunter, I turned my attention back to Nidorino who for the moment was content to staring down the pair pressed up against the wall.

"Nidorino," I repeated with a just as firm tone, "calm yourself. Now is not the time." I took another step forward, reaching out to retrieve his Pokeball from Haunter who remained next to me even afterwards.

Nidorino threw his head back in what was easily taken as a mix between annoyance and anger. He continued to stare down the two, who were slowly creeping closer and closer to the door. Feeling as if I was making progress, I continued speaking calmly yet firmly to my easily angered Pokemon.

"You're back with me now, Nidorino. I wasn't going to let them take you without doing everything in my power to get you back, you know that. Your mine just as much as I'm yours." I was silently relieved when my words seemed to have a positive effect on my Pokemon, calming him down enough to face me with a leveling stare, one that I returned just as fiercely.

Our staring contest was broken by the sound of an enlarging Pokeball, snapping both Nidorino's and my attention back to the two against the wall, the boy holding an now full sized Great Ball, just about ready to click it open and release whatever Pokemon that was held inside it. All of my soothing words and their effects that they had on Nidorino vanished in an instant, my starter letting out an enraged roar as he wasted no more time in charging the two, much to their as well as my horror.

The blue-haired girl let out a piercing scream as the boy quickly grabbed her around the waist and jumped out of Nidorino's way, my Pokemon smashing threw the wall that they had been pressed against instead. After shaking my head to clear it, I jumped into action and started giving orders to the Pokemon around me, mindful of Nidorino bellowing in anger.

"Haunter, get those two out of harm's way then put them under. Growlithe, with me. Flaaffy, stick by Nathan. Protect him." And with that, I dashed towards the hole that Nidorino had just made, Growlithe quick at my heels, nothing else on my mind other than stopping my now madly rampaging Nidorino.

I winced when I heard another loud crash, just managing to see Nidorino charge through yet another wall. This was not going to be fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan watched Sandra leave with a panicked look, his already speeding heart beating even faster at another loud crash, something that was quickly followed by the sound of Sandra cursing.

He watched without really seeing as Sandra's Haunter rested a hand on each on the older boy and younger girl, the boy ready to put up a fight before Flaaffy shocked him with a Thunder Wave, much like how she had with the first teen that they had come across. The girl, the one who had started this whole mess to begin with Nathan thought with a half-hearted glare, let out another shriek, though she didn't put up a fight against Haunter when he tried to once again grab hold of them. Without another second's waste, they both vanished for lack of better terms with Haunter.

Nathan noted dimply that the Great Ball that the boy had held, the one that had set off Nidorino after Sandra had managed to calm it down, was left behind. He was sorely tempted to go over and grab it, a sort of poetic justice in his mind to take a Pokemon from the Pokemon thieves.

Nathan wouldn't have been surprised if the Pokemon in the Great Ball was also stolen.

As if reading his mind, Flaaffy, who was still inside the room unlike Nathan and his own Pokemon Raticate and Misdreavus, walked over and picked up the Great Ball with a mildly curious expression from what Nathan could tell from his point of view. As Sandra's Pokemon turned back to face him, Great Ball held between Flaaffy's paws, another lour crash sounded, followed by one of Nidorino's angered roars.

They all froze for a moment, turning to where the noise came from even though they couldn't actually see what had happened. A loud 'thump' was soon followed after the roar. The thought that Sandra had managed to take control back over Nidorino was quickly shattered by Nidorino crying out again, though this time not nearly as loud as his previous ones, something that lifted Nathan's spirits.

Haunter reappeared not long after next to Flaaffy, the two holding a brief conversation that Nathan was pretty sure was about the Great Ball held in Flaaffy's hands as not long after Flaaffy held it out for Haunter to take which the Pokemon did without hesitation. With that out of the way, Flaaffy finally made her way over to Nathan, gave him a greeting via a wag of her tail, and joined his Raticate in standing next to him.

Haunter left with Great Ball in hand after speaking with his Misdreavus, no doubt in search for his Trainer, Sandra.

Nathan tried to calm his heart in the mean time, taking deep breaths and trying to block out the noise of battle that was happening throughout the building. Not wanting to stand in the middle of the hallway any longer, he moved around his circle of Pokemon protectors and into the half destroyed room, the Pokemon following after him.

When he was sure that he would go crazy with worry for Sandra, his heart as clam as it would get, a noise caught the Pokémon's attention, they all turning towards. With Flaaffy gathering more electricity and Raticate leaning forward to where he could attack in a moment's notice if needed, Nathan's previous calmed heart picked up its pace as he backed up slowly, all of the different possibilities flashing through his mind in just what could be on their way towards him.

When Sandra was the one to appear in the doorway, he let out a sigh of pure relief at seeing her. She gave him a tired smile, leaning against the doorframe for support as Growlithe stopped beside her, the Pokemon looking out of breath and ruffled, no doubt from her fight against Nidorino. I was even more relieved when I noticed that Nidorino was no longer out and about, his Pokeball once again upon Sandra's belt. Haunter came through the hole in the wall, Great Ball still in hand as he drifted over towards Sandra with its seemingly ever present grin.

She gave her Pokemon a curious look, eyeing the Great Ball that Haunter held. When he presented it to her like he had with Nidorino's Pokeball, her eyebrows raised, but she took it none the less, slipping it into her pants pocket without a word. Nathan moved to hug her not long after, thankful to just have his sister-like-figure back and unharmed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Wow. This has been by far my longest chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it as it was slightly difficult to type out for some reason. Well, Happy New Years everyone! See you come next chapter!


	43. Chapter Forty Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Two_

I sat down on my bed at the Pokemon Center slowly, holding back a wince at the movement with great effort. Nathan gave me a worried look at my side, his hands gripping at the edges of his shirt as she watched my movements like a hawk. I rolled my eyes mental and let a small sigh escape at his mother-hen actions, Nathan having not taken my 'injury' well.

I couldn't help the scoff that came with that thought; all in all, I could be in worse shape than having a bruised covered side and lightly bruised ribs. If not for Growlithe tackling me out of the way of my raging Nidorino, then I'd still be inside the hospital no doubt instead of being able to leave after receiving a cream that would help speed up the healing process of my bruises.

Gently, or as gently I could given the circumstances, I laid down on my back, out of breath despite myself from the action. It would be hell getting back up, of that I held no doubt.

"Do you need anything, Sandra? Water? Some food?" Nathan asked, having taken it upon himself to cater to my needs until I could move about without being in too much pain.

Shaking my head as a silent 'no', I closed my eyes and rested my arm from my un-injured side over them, blocking out the light of the room.

"I just want to sleep for a bit, Nathan. Thank you, though." I answered verbally as I offered him a meager smile even though I couldn't see him.

I heard him let out a sigh of his own, followed by the sound of light movements. Before I knew it the lights were switched off and Nathan was giving a quiet 'sleep well' before the sound of the door opening then closing was heard, followed by blissful silence.

Wiggling in a more comfortable position, I breath heavily through my nose and let sleep finally claim me.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan shut the door as silently as he could, biting at his bottom lip all the while. He was worried about Sandra, he wouldn't lie. He had gone into a near panic attack when she had said that she might need to stop by the hospital real quick after calling the police station to leave an anonymous tip concerning the building containing Pokemon thieves. Sandra had figured it easier than actually going down to the station and filling out form after form on what happened.

It hadn't taken long to be seen by a doctor, though they had gotten told off for having so many Pokemon out while in the hospital until they had explained that they were actually there for Sandra's, a human, sake, and not a Pokémon's. After returning all of their Pokemon, save Growlithe, they were lead into a waiting room, told that the doctor would be with them in a moment.

When the doctor had finally arrived after ten minutes wait and had asked what the problem was, Nathan had about had yet another panic attack when Sandra had lifted up the side of her shirt to show an already darkening burse that looked to cover her entire left side, stretching from just above her bottoms and up to the edges of where her bra showed, something that Nathan would have turned redder than an Scizor at seeing if not for the horror that he had felt at the bruise.

When the doctor had asked just how she had gotten such a bruise, Sandra had replied by say it was a Pokemon training accident, leaving it at that. Nathan had to bite his tongue from saying otherwise and telling the curious doctor about the Pokemon thieves.

After some poking and prodding by the doctor, something that made Nathan wince at watching and made him think that the doctor had a sadistic streak, the doctor had given strict orders for Sandra to keep her moving down to a minimum and apply a special cream to the bruise once a day until it was fully gone.

While not too pleased with the order, Sandra had agreed none the less and after picking up the cream from one of the nurses, the three made their way to the Pokemon center with both Growlithe and Nathan acting as a barrier for Sandra from the crowd of people that were still enjoying the Pokemon Exhibition.

Seeing how almost everyone was outside enjoying the Pokemon Exhibition, the Pokemon Center itself was rather calm and empty, there only being four other Trainer's present when the group of three walked in. Nurse Joy had greeted them at the front counter, taking their Pokemon to be healed, Growlithe looking as if she really needed it after the day's events, and Sandra had handed over the Great Ball that had previously been in the hands of the Pokemon thieves.

When Nurse Joy had asked how they came across it, Sandra told a half truth and half lie, saying that her Haunter found it and brought it to her while wondering outside, and so Sandra was hoping that Nurse Joy would be able to find its owner. Nurse Joy had, of course, accepted after taking down their names and room number, as well as Sandra's Pokegear number for 'just in case'.

That was where Nathan was heading for at the moment, going to see if Nurse Joy had had any luck concerning the mystery Pokemon inside the Great Ball to get back their Pokemon if healed.

The first floor was slight more filled then it had been when they first got back, there being a short line to talk to Nurse Joy. After waiting quietly for his turn, when he got to the front he didn't even have to ask as Nurse Joy's face said it all the moment she saw him. None the less, Nathan asked if only for the sake of asking.

"Have you had any luck in finding the Pokémon's Trainer, Nurse Joy?" His voice was small, already expecting the answer that he received.

Nurse Joy shook her head before giving a verbal response. "Sadly, no. The Great Ball has been wiped clean of the Trainer's I.D. so there's little I can do besides wait and see if a Trainer reports a missing Pokemon. If no one claims the Pokemon within thirty days, then I can no longer hold it here and have to instead release it back into the wild." It looked as if it pained her to say such a thing, though from what Sandra had told her about how she gotten Growlithe, it could be worse.

That actually sparked an idea inside him mind.

"Couldn't you just give the Pokemon to another Trainer at the end of the thirty days if no one claims it?" Nathan asked with open curiosity, something that made Nurse Joy smile lightly.

"I guess so, yes. Are you such a Trainer that'd be willing to take the Pokemon?" She asked back with just as much curiosity, making Nathan blink at the question.

Him, take another's Pokemon? Unlike Growlithe, who had been abandoned by her original Trainer, this Pokemon had been stolen from its Trainer, having no way on getting back to them unless their Trainer personally came to the Pokemon Center and reported it missing which they no doubt already did when they first lost it. Who knows how long that the Pokemon had been missing for, how long a Trainer out there had been looking for it.

Nathan couldn't ever imagine that happening to one of his Pokemon, not knowing what happened to them or who had them, and for the first time realized just how Sandra might have felt when Nidorino had been taken from her. Could he really take another's Pokemon, even if he wasn't the one to have stolen it?

Blinking, he came back to the present and gave Nurse Joy a determined look, having made up his mind.

"Yes. I'd take it and do everything in my power to try and find the Pokémon's original Trainer while traveling." Nathan gave Nurse Joy such a look that dared her to say anything otherwise. She instead gave a small laugh and a large smile.

"That's mighty heroic of you. But what if you couldn't find the Pokémon's original Trainer? Then what would you do?"

Nathan gave a huff and crossed his arms over his chest, unknowingly copying the stance from Sandra. "I'd keep looking of course." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, holding his chin high.

Nurse Joy shook her head in amusement, believing that he'd do such a thing as well.

"Very well then. If I can't find the Pokémon's Trainer within thirty days, then I'll give it to you to look after." She said with a grin, her eyes twinkling.

Nathan's jaw dropped lightly, his arms slackening just the lightest as her words processed within his mind. He didn't think that she'd actually let him do it!

"Is that a no?" Nurse Joy asked, putting on a look of mock hurt.

"No!" Nathan shouted, jumping forward towards the counter and gripping the edges tightly. "Of course I accept!"

Nurse Joy outright laughed at his enthusiasm, happy to have met such a boy like Nathan. It wasn't every day that she got to meet a Trainer with such morals. Most Trainers would have just taken the lost Pokemon for themselves, never giving a second though about the Pokémon's original Trainer. She could see Nathan going far in his Pokemon journey if he kept hold of such beliefs.

"It's settled then; in thirty days, if I haven't found the Pokémon's Trainer, then I give you a call and transfer the Pokemon to the nearest Pokemon Center for you to pick up." She said with her grin still in place, holding out her hand to shake on it, something that Nathan was quick to do.

Sandra would be so proud of him.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	44. Chapter Forty Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Three_

We finally left Florando close to two weeks later, much to my annoyance. Once Nurse Joy, someone who I was more than pleased to see after the encounter with that other nurse, found out what had happened to me via Nathan, she had joined him in his 'crusade' of getting me better as fast as possible. This ended with me being forced to remain in bed for the first five days, only allowed to leave for bathroom purposes. Everything else was done for me, Nathan bringing me food and doing the errands that I would usually do in town with Nurse Joy looking after my Pokemon for me, though Growlithe was quite adamant about staying with me, taking to sleeping at the foot of my bed.

The only up side on staying as long as we did was that after the towns Pokemon Exhibition had ended, the Trainer's who had been crowding up the Pokemon Center began leaving, a major mass of them gone the next day leaving only a good sized handful of Trainer's left.

During my time forced to stay in bed, I had called my parents to let them know what had happened, though I had edited the story a bit so that I wouldn't get chewed out for my 'stupidity' as my mother would no doubt see it. While not all that happy with my 'injury', my mom having threatened to catch the closest flight down until I had assured her that I was already being well taken care of, they had both admitted their pride for my having 'willingly gone through dangerous risks' to get back my starter. Rolling my eyes, thankful that they couldn't see such an action from my Pokegear, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything otherwise.

With them out of the way, I had called up some of my friends to pass the time and to catch up, seeing how I haven't talked to any of them really during my journey.

They, like me, have no real love for Pokemon and don't want anything to do with them, much less go off on a journey with them, instead staying home and working to finish school. When I had first told them what my parents were up to, they had expressed their sympathy, promised to keep in touch, and then went about their day.

Great friends I have.

None the less, it was either talk to them or count the dots in the ceiling.

When I was able to walk around without being in too much pain, I took to light stretches, something Nurse Joy said would help with my bruising, and walking out back behind the Pokemon Center to train my Pokemon. I wasn't about to let them get out of shape or practice simply because I had a bruise covering my side.

When I had released Nidorino from his Pokeball, the first time after getting him back, things were slightly stressed between the two of us, Growlithe included. While I didn't exactly blame him for losing control, his species being well known for their short temper, that didn't mean that I wasn't the smallest bit nervous around him. Nidorino, as if sensing my unease, kept his distance from me while I had him out. He did as I asked and nothing more, being unusually quiet during training. It was only when Growlithe had gone over to talk to him about who-knows-what did Nidorino seemed to regain some of his personality back. Besides giving the pair a questioning look, I dropped the matter, quickly shaking off any unease that I had felt being around Nidorino.

I didn't go through all that trouble in getting him back, only to develop an unneeded and, quite frankly, pathetic fear of him. It was with that mindset that things were quick in getting back to how they were before the whole incident even happened.

After leaving Florando, we headed straight to Greenfield, stopping in the town long only enough to get our Pokemon healed professionally by the town's resident Nurse Joy and to restock what needed to be restocked. I was really determined to make it to Goldenrod, not only a major city on its own, but the location of the next Gym Badge. Thankfully, Nathan shared my urge and put up little complaint, only having us stop for lunch and out training sessions, wanting to be ready for the next Gym Leader.

With the use of my Pokegear, Nathan had called up some of his own friends, who were ahead of the two of us unsurprisingly, and asked about the third Gym Leader, leading us to find out that said Gym Leader specialized in Normal-Type Pokemon with a known certain fondness for the Pokemon Miltank. With that in mind, we started focusing on a Pokemon lineup that would do well against such type of Pokemon.

For my own team, I picked Nidorino, Poliwhirl, and Raticate. Nathan ended up picking Croconaw, Geodude, and Ekans, though Nathan was hoping to get his Ekans to evolve into an Arbok before the battle, the Pokemon being really close as it is.

When still a good half a day's walk away from Goldenrod, we came across a Pokemon Daycare run by an elderly couple. Nathan, being the curious boy that he is, dragged me, and by default Growlithe, into the large home-like-building that was surrounded by a large fenced in area. I was able to identify a large amount of the Pokemon running around within the fenced area, many of them 'common', being able to be found all over the region. The one's that I couldn't put a species name to are no doubt Pokemon from other regions.

I amused myself by looking them up with my Pokedex, using it for something other than to check on my own Pokemon.

When we actually reached the front door of the building, I let Nathan lead the way in, following behind with a critical eye. We were greeted by the elderly woman who introduced herself as simply 'Grandma', refusing to be called anything else saying that. After we agreed, though on my part a bit reluctantly, she moved on to explain just what a pokemon Daycare did, as if it was not already obvious.

I had given the briefest of thoughts when I had first received my Horsea in leaving it in a Pokemon Daycare, but once we reached out 'agreement', that thought was thrown out the window as I didn't exactly like the thought of someone else raising my Pokemon for me, even if they had been doing such a thing for other Trainer's for years.

Call me old fashion, but if I was going to do this Pokemon journey, then I was going to do it right.

Nathan, on the other hand, seemed to think otherwise as he talked with 'Grandma'. As she explained just how they looked after the Pokemon, helping them grow stronger, I could see that Nathan's interest was sparked, willingly going with the elderly woman on a tour of the place while I stuck behind in the front entrance.

It took nearly an hour for them to get back to me, at which point I was beyond bored, having resorted to sitting next to Growlithe on the floor and looking through my Pokedex, Growlithe napping from its own boredom.

I gave the pair a curious look, the two talking with Nathan offering his form as support for 'Grandma'. When they got within hearing distance, I could make out that they were going on about just how much it would cost to leave a Pokemon in her and her husband's care. Shaking my head, I stood, wincing from the 'cracks' that could be heard from sitting to long. Growlithe was already awake and standing, stretching as well.

I walked with the pair over to the front counter, where 'Grandma' moved to stand behind it and Nathan on the other side as was custom.

"So you'll be leaving your Flaaffy here with us then?" 'Grandma' asked, double checking no doubt.

Nathan nodded and pulled off his Pokémon's Pokeball from his own belt, handing it over to the elderly woman as she in turn handed over a form sheet for Nathan to fill out.

I couldn't help but look over his shoulder and read over the paper, my own curiosity getting the better of me as well as wanting to make sure that Nathan wasn't getting in over his head. Elderly or not, I've learned the hard way that one shouldn't trust someone else based on looks alone.

The form itself was simple in concept, it asking for the Trainer's name and if they already had one, their Trainer I.D. After that was a blank line for the Pokémon's species and any nicknames that the Pokemon might have. Following that was a check box for how long the Trainer was leaving their Pokemon for, as well as what the Trainer wanted their Pokemon to be doing in terms of training while at the Daycare. At the very bottom was a line for Nathan to sign his name, cementing the deal.

Leaning back, I waited for Nathan to be done, returning the smile of 'Grandma'.

"Will you be leaving one of your Pokemon here as well?" She asked, eyeing Growlithe. My Pokemon stared right back, baring its teeth as it took a step closer to me.

I shook my head, but gave a verbal answer as well. "No, sorry, but I'll be keeping my Pokemon with me." I gave another fake smile, my hands behind my back as I rocked back and forth on the heels of my feet.

She gave a grief sadden look, but went back to her cheery look not soon after, nodding in understanding. The elderly woman took the filled out paper from Nathan filing it before turning back and taking Flaaffy's Pokeball off the counter and placing it in her pocket for the time being.

"And do you have a number that I could call you at if anything is to come up?" She asked pleasantly enough.

Nathan gave me a pleading look, something that I rolled my eyes at but nodded none the less. With a grin, he spouted off my Pokegear number, giving me a grateful look afterwards. Ruffling his hair, making him whine, I took my leave and stepped outside to wait for Nathan to be done, wanting to get going.

Thankfully Nathan didn't take much longer, coming outside shortly after me and closing the door with one last wave goodbye to 'Grandma'.

With a shake of my head, Growlithe and I started walking back to the original trail that would take us to Goldenrod, Nathan running after to catch up to us. I gave him an amused look when he reached my side, the boy only lightly out of breath. He glared at me mockingly, to which I ruffled his hair again with a teasing grin.

We reached Goldenrod a few hours later, the city being just as big as I remember it to be. If it wasn't for the fact that my parents liked to take regular trips to the large city, dragging me along with them from time to time, I held no doubt in my mind that I would be just as lost looking as Nathan. With a warning to keep close to me, giving a pointed look at him as I knew that he liked to run ahead at times when something captured his interest, I led the three of us to one of the two Pokemon Centers, heading for the closest one from where we were.

It took a good half hour to reach it, what with trying to maneuver around all the traffic and people moving out and about. The Pokemon Center itself was hard to miss, it being close to four stories high, I being one of the largest Pokemon Centers in the region.

We had to wait a few minutes to get to the front counter, but after that it was smooth sailing, dropping off our Pokemon and getting two rooms.

We finally reached Goldenrod.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	45. Chapter Forty Four

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Four_

We spent the first day in Goldenrod getting in some last minute training for our chosen Pokemon line-up come the eventual Gym Battle. It was something that I was becoming accustomed to doing when reaching a town that held a Gym, not to say that I was against the habit. Nathan was still trying to get his Ekans to evolve before his match, his being scheduled a half hour after my own, so he wasn't exactly complaining about my want to wait an extra day, either.

Already we had seen Trainer's come into the Center with dejected looks, having lost to the Gym Leader, Whitney, so we both wanted to be ready when it came our turn.

We trained together on the outskirts of town, though to be more accurate, we trained in the same general area. With Nathan still having a certain fondness for battling other Trainer's as a form of training his Pokemon, I liked to keep with my own version of training.

While letting out all of my current Pokemon to join in on the training, I let Growlithe, Noctowl, and Horsea train at their own pace after giving them some basic instructions while Nidorino, Poliwhirl, and Raticate with me in hopes of getting them as ready as possible for the next day.

For attack moves, I had Raticate work on its Crunch and Hyper-Fang, using the surrounding trees as its target. Poliwhirl, I had it try and improve its aim with both Water Gun and the still shaky BubbleBeam, having it take aim at a particular grouping of leaves high up in one of the tress and work on shooting them down with one move, and then move onto another high up grouping of leaves and attack with the next move. Once Poliwhirl felt that it had a decent control over its BubbleBeam and improved with its Water Gun, it was to move onto trying out Body Slam, getting a better feel of its new physical strength with its evolved form.

When it came to Nidorino, I had him work on his Horn Attack and Fury Attack with spouts of Poison Sting in between, also having him use the surrounding trees as a target.

It was at times like these that I honestly felt bad for the trees that my Pokemon attacked, and couldn't help but wonder if the reason for so many fallen trees were because of Trainer's like myself letting their Pokemon use them for target practice. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, though.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nearly two and a half hours later, I gave a loud whistle, calling back my Pokemon. With Horsea having been training within a close by pond, one that was well within my sights so that I could keep an eye on it, I only had to wait for Growlithe and Noctowl, Nidorino, Raticate, and Poliwhirl already gathered around me.

Noctowl was the first of the two to return, the large Flying-Type landing up above the rest of us on a tree branch, giving a low trill of a greeting before going about and preening its equally as large left wing.

Five minutes, another two whistles later, and having started to grow impatience, I crossed my arms across my chest and scowled at the general area that Growlithe had left in. Giving another quick look over my current surroundings, I gave an annoyed huff and dropped my arms to my side.

"Okay, guys, looks like we get the fun job of looking for Growlithe ourselves, seeing how she refuses to come back on her own." I grumbled out, not at all that pleased with the situation. My exhaustion was starting to get the best of me, not noticing my slip until well after I had already said it.

Walking over to where Horsea was waiting in the pond, I bent down and scooped the small Water-Type out of the water and held it against my chest securely, not ready to return it when it might have a use out of its Pokeball.

Looking over at the rest of my Pokemon, I sighed lightly before splitting them up. Sending Nidorino, Noctowl, and Poliwhirl in one direction, Horsea, Raticate, and I headed off in the other.

Having chosen the direction that Growlithe had headed off in, I was partially hoping to simply find my wayward Pokemon sleeping underneath a tree somewhere and call it a day after giving said Pokemon a chew out.

As such, when Raticate paused in its movements ahead of my, its ears and tail twitching, I had to hold in a groan and fight back on yelling out 'now what?' to the sky as if it was the one at fault.

Raticate quickly looked back at me, shifting from side to side as it spoke rapidly at me, seeming to have forgotten that I was unable to understand the language of Pokemon. Horsea, still in my arms, though seemed to get what Raticate was saying as it gave a squeak of a noise in response, wiggling in my hold as it looked up at me, its mouth starting to produce vague whistle like sounds. Blinking, I gave another look at my anxious looking Raticate who was turned back to where we were heading, then looked back at Horsea who was still making that weird whistle-like-noise. Suddenly, it clicked within my head just what they were getting at and I wasted no more time in bringing one hand up t my mouth, my other hand cradling Horsea like one would a baby, and gave three sharp whistles.

With that out of the way, I got Horsea back into a more comfortable position and nodded at Raticate who was once again sparing me an anxious look. Without further hesitation Raticate took off and I was close on its heels. At our pace it didn't take all that long to reach where Raticate wanted to get to, and at even a glace around the clearing I could understand why.

There were two other humans present, both male and if I had to guess around fourteen or fifteen of age. They both wore black shirts and black baggy cargo pants, the only difference in their outfits being that one had dark red patched seemingly randomly placed on his pants, the other's being whole.

Each had a Pokemon out and in front of them, one being a large Golem and the other an angry looking Electabuzz, sparks of electricity running along its body.

When I spotted Growlithe, my heart leapt into my throat and it felt as if the air was knocked out of me. Then I felt nothing but a burning hot anger, a fury similar to the one that I felt when Nidorino had been taken from me.

My proud, ever so proud, Pokemon was pushed up against a large tree, crouched low with her bloody fangs bared. Her once smooth and clean red and cream colored fur was matted and stained with her own blood from gashes and smaller cuts along her sides and one upon her back. Her front left paw was limp, her body weight being supported by her right leg.

I saw red, being forced to see my Pokemon in such a state like that.

With a silent snarl, I took long strides into the clearing, my furious gaze pinned on the two teenage boys who had just noticed my appearance. Knowing that Raticate would keep either of the other two Trainer's Pokemon from attacking me, I zeroed in on them and only them, practically hissing out my words.

"What in the _hell_ do you two think you're doing to _my_ Pokemon." Despite beings posed as a question, it sounded anything like one, my tone being more of an 'I'm pissed and you're the reason why'. As I spoke I took much slower, more precise steps towards the two, continuing my glare and snarl of a look. I finally stopped a forth of the way into the clearing, the two teens being roughly a dozen steps ahead of me now.

One of the two, the one with the red patched on his pants, gave a wide eyed look at me, his mouth opening a closing, no sound coming forth. The other boy, though, returned my glared though not nearly as fierce as he eyed me and gave the briefest of look over to Raticate at my side and Horsea in my arms. As if thinking that the two of them could take me on without trouble given my present Pokemon, his confidence looked to grow as his glare turned into a smug look, his arms crossed against his chest.

"You're Pokemon? Heh, not much of a Pokemon, is it? Be thankful that we're taking it off your hands." His tone was that of pure arrogance, one that suggested that he was use to getting his way with people. His friend, after losing the shock of my sudden and rather angered appearance, took after the cocky teen and crossed his own arms, though a hint of wary was still present under his own smug look.

I said nothing in return, simply stalling for time at this point. I knew that the rest of my Pokemon would get here soon enough, and with them, the better chance of beating the two teenage boys into submission.

"What's wrong, sweetheart, nothing to say?" The boy who first spoke taunted, his look turning into a leering one as he none to casually looked my body up and down.

Disgust was added in with my cold fury, making my glare all the fiercer as I bared my own teeth at the two.

"Forgive me if I don't exactly like talking to trash such as you." A movement in the branches above us made me glace up ever so slightly, just enough to catch sight of Noctowl, who returned my stare with a just as fierce one, clearly understanding the situation. A movement out of the corner of my eye clued me in on the fact that Nidorino and Poliwhirl were resent as well.

Looking back at the two slightly peeved boys, I gave the cruelest smirk I could manage, which wasn't exactly all that hard, and began calling out orders, and the while keeping eye contact with the frowning boy with red pant patches.

"Hyper Fang, Horn Attack, and Confusion on yellow. BubbleBeam and Water Gun on brown." My Pokemon wasted no time in jumping into action, Raticate darting forward to deliver a Hyper Fang to the Electabuzz who was still too busy staring down Growlithe to notice the incoming attack, much less Nidorino who came charging in from the opposite side of the enemy Pokemon.

Raticate's attack hit first, it's overly large yet menacingly sharp teeth sinking into the other's side which brought forth a cry of pain. With its job done, Raticate let go of its target and got out of the way of Nidorino who not even seconds later rammed full speed into the Electabuzz, sending the Pokemon flying a good few feet before rolling to a stop, poison leaking from its received wound. Without missing a beat, a pink outline surrounded the dazed and injured Pokemon, it being lifted a few feet into the air before being turned upside down and slammed head first back onto the ground, knocking out the Electabuzz.

At the same as this was going on, Poliwhirl literally jumped into the clearing and pounded the surprised Golem with wave after wave of BubbleBeam, not letting up on its attack despite the Golem crying out it its own pain as it tried to back up only to trip and land on the ground with a hard crash that had the ground shaking in the slightest. In my arms, Horsea took aim at its target and let loose its Water Gun, nailing the other Pokemon on its side and following its actions, also not letting up on its attack.

Growlithe, having not gotten to the point that she was in without fighting back, had been able to weaken the Golem enough to where in no time at all the two combined water attacks had the large Pokemon down and out as well, unable to get a chance in fighting back.

With the two teens Pokemon out of the way, Poliwhirl walked over to me without having to have been asked and took Horsea for me, allowing me to stalk towards the gaping boys, my hands clenched into tight fists.

The teen with the red patches was the first to snap out of his daze, snarling at me as he yelled out. "You son of a bit-!" I cut him off by a solid punch to the jaw, putting as much weight into it as I could as that was all that I would allow myself it terms of physical violence on my half.

His head snapped to the side, stumbling back a few steps and would have tripped much like the Golem had done if not for his friend catching him, much to my displeasure.

Ignoring the pain in my hand, I leveled my glare on the second teen, said boy once again staring at me wide eyed as his friend let out a pathetic moan in his lack grip.

"You'd do well to stay away from my Pokemon in the future. Next time I won't be so lenient." I didn't wait for an answer before I spun on my heels and made my ways over towards Growlithe, who by this point was content to lying on her stomach, following my movements with her eyes. Not even bothering to hold back my wince, I tugged my backpack off my shoulders and set it next to me, trusting my Pokemon to watch my back for me as I tended to Growlithe as much as possible before recalling her to her Pokeball, no matter how much she'll no doubt hate it even when injured to such a degree.

Ignoring the sound of movement behind me, my Pokémon's combined growling nearly covering it; I sprayed the worst of the gashes and cuts with disinfection, moving onto a Hyper Potion on the worst of the wounds in hopes of getting them to at least stop their bleeding. With one hand spraying on the medicine, I used my other to gently rub small circles on the top of Growlithe's head, it being the only place that didn't look hurt in some way or another.

"There now, you're going to be okay." I spoke softly to my Pokemon as I worked, though if my words were meant to comfort her or me I wasn't sure. None the less, I continued speaking to her just loud enough for her to head, only pulling my hand off her head long enough to grab the next bottle from my bag. Before long, I had done as much as I could with my limited supplies and was forced to recall my partly healed Pokemon with a sad smile.

Sighing, I collected up all of the used bottles that I had used and place them back into my bag, planning on throwing them out when I got back in the Pokemon Center. When that was done, I stood, my knees popping making my wince at the sound. Turning around to face my Pokemon, I was unsurprised to find that the two teenage boys were gone from the clearing.

Praising my Pokemon on their impressive teamwork, I recalled them one by one until I was left alone in the clearing. With another heavy sigh I ran my hand through my hair before making my war back to Goldenrod at a light jog, wanting to get to the Pokemon Center as fast as possible.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I have been meaning to get this out for a few days now, but just haven't found the time in my busy schedule. Don't worry, though. I should have the next chapter out come this weekend, if not a day or so sooner for having you all wait so long for this chapter.


	46. Chapter Forty Five

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Five_

Somber. Sandra appeared very…somber for lack of better words.

That was Nathan's first thought when he found her sitting on one of the large armchairs offered in the Pokemon Center's lobby. Her head was bowed, her brown bangs hiding her eyes from view, her hands clasped tightly together and placed upon her lap. Naturally her posture was straight and nothing less than perfect in his eyes, something that would usually make Nathan think of how the royalty he had to read about in school would act in present day, but now she was hunched over, her leg shaking at a constant pace that was completely unlike the Sandra he knew.

Nathan hesitated the barest of moments in whether or not he should actually go over and talk to her, not wanting to impose in case she was thinking something of importance, but also didn't want to leave her alone. Just as he was about to take a step back and leave her be, Sandra raised her head and caught his eye, blinking slowly as if seeing him for the first time in a long while before offering the weakest smile that Nathan had ever seen her give him. It alone made Nathan want to wince in sympathy.

With slow steps, Nathan made his way over towards Sandra, trying to think of what he would say to her to make her feel better. With nothing coming to mind, nothing sounding right, he settled for simply sitting in the armchair next to the one that Sandra had claimed, resolved to offer silent comfort in the least.

Sandra dropped her hair again, her leg once again bouncing up and down at a seemingly never ending cycle that quickly became a patter within Nathan's mind, the noise being the only noise in the otherwise silent Pokemon Center.

Sparing a look at the still lit sign that signaled a more major Pokemon healing taking place Nathan gave in and grimaced, bowing his own head and offering a silent pray for the Growlithe behind those doors.

All they could do now was hope for the best.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Shutting the door, I slumped against it, my exhaustion getting the best of me now that I was back inside my room at the Pokemon Center. Forcing my eyes open, I slowly made my way over towards my bed, tugging off my bag, belt, and shoes along the way before collapsing on top of the beds covers, not caring enough to pull them out from underneath me.

Now that I was actually on the bed, I found myself wide awake. Cursing my cruel mind and body, I laid on my back with my arms and legs sprawled out, giving into the fact that I wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon.

Blinking, my eyes slowly getting use to the darkness of my room, my mind wondered back to Growlithe. Thankfully, Nurse Joy had been able to heal her without problem, my work in the forest having helped. While Growlithe would have to wear a splint for her sprained leg for a bit and run the possibility of having another scar for the worst of the gashes, she'd otherwise be fine.

None the less, Nurse Joy had wanted to keep her overnight for further observation to make sure that none of Growlithe's wounds opened back up unexpectedly during the night. While I could understand her reasoning, I couldn't help but find myself missing the extra warmth at the end of my bed, or the steady snore-like-breathing that Growlithe tented to make while sleeping.

The room was just too _silent_ to sleep.

I gave an annoyed huff and flipped over onto my side, curling into a ball as I forced my eyes shut. My mind, though, refused to shut down and kept on going through my day, this time moving onto when Officer Jenny had come by to take my statement when I had told Nurse Joy just how my Growlithe had come to be so hurt.

Apparently, from the way that I had described the two teens that were responsible for Growlithe's state, they were part of a steadily growing gang-like-group within the city. Officer Jenny had said that while it didn't happen often, the group actually preferring to capture wild Pokemon, they weren't afraid to go after Trainer's Pokemon as well if they think that they could get away with it. My Pokemon was far from their first victim of such a case, other Trainer's before me having come to the Police to complain about their Pokemon being attacked or, in worst case scenarios, actually stolen from them.

The police were trying their hardest to stop the group once and for all, but couldn't seem to catch a break. The few that they did catch and bring in for questioning were always gone the next day, having escaped during the night. It had gotten to the point where even the Gym Leader had to get involved after her Gym had been broken into and her prized Miltank almost stolen.

The worst part about it all was that from what the police could tell, the group was made mainly up of younger Trainer's, there only been a few known members appearing in their twenty's who were no doubt the ring leaders of the group.

With a promise that I would stay safe and tell the police anything else if I remembered it, Officer Jenny had left with a nod to Nurse Joy.

I honestly felt sorry for the police force; it must be taxing on them to be outsmarted by a, given, large group of children. They didn't even have an official name to call the group, either. None of the members that the police had managed to catch for however short a time never let slip any information, much less important information.

I stayed awake for another hour before my brain finally gave in and let me sleep. With a content sigh, I forgot all of my problems in place for pointless dreams that I would no doubt forget come morning. Finally, I could sleep.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Meeting up with Nathan in the lobby the next morning, we greeted Nurse Joy before I asked for an update on Growlithe.

"She's doing a lot better." Nurse Joy started with a smile. "Her smaller cuts and scrapes are fully healed, her more serious cuts closed and no longer running the risk of re-opening if treated properly, though I'm sorry to say that the cut on her back will scar." She offered me an apologetic look as I thought back to just which one she meant and gave the smallest of grimaces when said wound came to mind. It had been by far the worst of Growlithe's wounds; I was afraid for her spine when I first saw it, honestly. It was good to hear that that fear wasn't going to become a reality.

A scar was a small price to pay for the knowledge that Growlithe would be able to walk again.

"You'll need to keep her splint on for at least two weeks so make sure that nothing else happens to it, so I'd suggest keeping her within her Pokeball, letting her out when she wouldn't have to walk too much." Nurse Joy said, finishing her update.

After thanking her and finding out that I could take Growlithe back, I did just that. Clipping her Pokeball onto my belt, I once again thanked the Joy before making my way out of the Center with Nathan. We had a Gym match, after all, and after yesterday, there was no way I was going to lose.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Entering the Gym, we went and spoke to the middle-aged woman working the front desk, signing in for my match that was to start in close to ten minutes. Seeing how there was another challenger ahead of me still, their battle having started around twenty minutes ago, Nathan and I waited in the lobby-like room of the Gym.

I spent the next ten minutes going over some last minute battle plans in my head, thinking of the different move combinations that my selected Pokemon could use while in their match. Finally, the Trainer who had been battling against the Gym Leader walked into the lobby with a pleased grin on his face, the girl looking to be around Nathan's age. She spied us and gave us, or more specifically Nathan, thumbs up before she exited the Gym with a skip.

We had to wait an extra five minutes before the woman at the front counter called my name.

"The Gym Leader will see you now." She said with a pleasant smile, pointing out the direction in which I should take.

Thanking her, I ruffled Nathan's hair and gave him a small smile as he offered me a quick 'good luck'.

Time to earn my next Gym Badge.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a quick 'Thank You' to my reviewers. Thanks to you guys, this story has managed to break 50 reviews ^.^ You all have no idea how great a feeling that this is. It means a lot to me to know that there are people reading this and like it enough to leave a review, no matter how short it may be. So for that, thank you.


	47. Chapter Forty Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Six_

Whitney was not what I expected a Gym Leader to be, bright pink hair excluded. By this point I was nearly coming to expect Gym Leaders to have abnormal hair coloring, most likely being worried if they, heaven forbid, had regular hair in terms of color.

No, Whitney was…special in her own way I guess would be the nicest way to put it.

Her eyes were red around the edges, as if she had been crying recently, and still looked as if she would burst into tears at any given moment. She sniffled when she say me, giving a half-hearted glare my way as she pouted.

"Another challenger already?" She said in an almost frustrated tone, crossing her arms across her chest. I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or not, so I kept quiet as I made my way over to my side of the battle designated area. Eyeing the supposed Gym Leader with a wary eye, I was not all that impressed. This was the girl that had sent so many of the younger Trainer's back to the Pokemon Center in near tears, being declared by them as well as some of the older Trainer's to be too tough to beat on the first try battling her? The Gym Leader who's Miltank was a virtual legend for its sheer power?

Huh. I'd say that looks can be deceiving, but seeing her like this made all those rumors that I had heard in the Pokemon Center over the past few days seemed a little farfetched at the moment. Unless it was custom for her to cry after every lost match, but even then would the Pokemon League really place such a Gym Leader…?

Shaking my head to get rid of my line of thought, it being too much of a hassle to think about at the moment, I focused more on the referee who was explaining the rules.

As I had known it to be, the match was to be a three-on-three, with myself allowed to switch out Pokemon but Whitney un-allowed.

And with a wave of her two flags, the match was called to begin.

I plucked off Raticate's Pokeball of my belt without a second though, releasing it at the same time as Whitney released her own Pokemon. I had to hold back hitting my forehead at seeing her first Pokemon, settling for sighing instead. Of course one of her Pokemon would be the female version of Nidorino.

Well, might as well get going as it looked as if Whitney was waiting on me to kick start things.

"Quick Attack into Hyper Fang."

"Dodge it!" Whitney called out, but her Pokemon didn't get the chance to follow through as within seconds Raticate was beside it and biting into its shoulder, its momentum sending them both tumbling to the ground. Without having to be told Raticate let go of the other Pokemon and jumped back, hopping back a few steps to gather distance.

"Scary Face then Pursuit."

"Poison Sting, Nidorina!" From its place on the ground, the Nidorina turned its head and let lose a barrage of poison needles.

Use to facing off against Nidorino's own Poison Sting, it took little effort on Raticate's part to dodge the attack before moving onto its commanded move combo.

Making a horrible face that could easily be classified as 'scary', it used the Nidorina's hesitation to launch its next move, sprinting towards the still downed Pokemon only to disappear briefly, reappearing behind the other Pokemon and attacking.

"Poor me!" Whitney bemoaned as the referee called the first match in my favor, Whitney returning her first Pokemon with a pout as she fixed Raticate with a glare. "How could such an ugly Pokemon beat _my_ Nidorina?" She asked to seemingly herself, causing me to frown at her remark and Raticate to hiss at her none to politely. I bit my tongue from making a scathing remark, though resting only for the fact that she was still a Gym Leader.

After the battle was over, though…

When her next Pokemon was called out to battle, I felt my eye twitch. I couldn't help it. I mean really now, a Clefairy of all things?

Before my mental rant could start, Whitney called out an order for her Pokemon.

"Metronome!"

I scowled.

"Prepare to dodge, countering with Crunch."

I had briefly debated about simply having Raticate interrupt the move instead of letting it be carried out, but I couldn't help but find myself curious about the move.

We all watched as the Clefairy waved its hands back and forth in a set patter, the tips of them beginning to glow shortly after starting the move before without warning a steady stream of flame erupted from the Clefairy's mouth.

Blinking rapidly in shock, I closed my open mouth and watched as despite Raticate's best efforts, be hit by the Flamethrower. Once the move finished, the Clefairy was breather harder, but no worse for wear while Raticate was burn badly on one side, its fur blackened.

Raticate tried to take a step forward to deliver a Crunch, but could only take a feeble two steps before collapsing, out cold.

Wincing, I recalled my Pokemon as the referee called the match in Whitney's favor.

Thinking over my next move carefully, I weighted my options before replacing Raticate's Pokeball for Poliwhirl's. Releasing my chosen Pokemon, I called out my orders as soon as the referee called the start of the match.

"BubbleBeam then Hypnosis."

"Another Metronome, Clefairy!"

This time around, the Clefairy didn't get the chance to perform the move, much less complete it as Poliwhirl wasted no time in firing off its BubbleBeam, getting steadily closer to the other Pokemon as it went just as I had taught it.

Distract, than attack with full power.

When only ten feet away from the Clefairy, Poliwhirl stopped his attack and was quick in replacing it with Hypnosis, the Clefairy to exhausted and wounded from my Pokémon's earlier on slaughter of BubbleBeam to do as Whitney was telling it and dodge, instead giving Poliwhirl a wary look, not putting up a fight against being hit by the Hypnosis.

With Clefairy put to sleep, it didn't take much more until it was knocked out, Whitney being forced to recall it.

Down to her last Pokemon, I wasn't all that surprised to see it to be the fabled Miltank.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my muscles to relax and my hands to unclench. When the referee called the match to begin, I started off with a move that while I knew would prove helpful, wasn't one of my favorites.

"Rain Dance."

Whiney scowled before having her Miltank try Attract, only to have Poliwhirl give the other Pokemon a flat look, none to impressed with the actions of the Miltank before carrying out its ordered move, performing an odd dance that quickly had dark clouds appear just below the ceiling of the Gym. When the dark clouds thickened enough, rain began to fall, light at first before it became a downpour.

Whitney let out a shriek of annoyance, loudly complaining out the rain messing up her hair and clothes. Rolling my eyes, I gave my next set of orders to Poliwhirl while Whitney was distracted by the rain.

"Body Slam then BubbleBeam." I had to speak just the tad bit louder to be heard over the rain, not that I minded.

"No fair, no fair, no fair! Miltank, Rollout!"

By this point, Poliwhirl was already in the stages of giving the other Pokemon a Body Slam, being able to carry out the move with enough force that had the Miltank crying out in pain in a loud squeal, Poliwhirl jumping off the other Pokemon soon after regaining its bearings. Miltank was right behind it though, standings back up on shaky feet, regained its own bearing, and moved into a Rollout.

With Poliwhirl so close, and even with the rain to slow the attack, my Pokemon was hit by the Rollout. Being thrown back only a few feet, but knowing that it would only get worse the longer that the move went on, I looked for a way to quickly end the match.

"Another BubbleBeam, Poliwhirl."

I tsk'ed when the move was only able to push the Miltank off course, just enough to miss Poliwhirl.

With the rain beginning to lighten to a sprinkle, I frowned and tried a different tactic.

"Body Slam."

Poliwhirl charged the rolling Miltank, a determined look on its face as it prepared for the impact. Said impact threw both Pokemon backwards, Poliwhirl landing in front of me with Miltank in front of Whitney.

Poliwhirl got up slowly, the hit really hurting it, the rough landing not helping matters much. Miltank got up a few seconds after Poliwhirl, it actually surprising me still able to stand, much less fight.

"Milk Drink." Whitney ordered with a smug look aimed in my direction, and much to my disgust the Miltank began drinking from its own utters. Having to avert my eyes less I gag, I looked over Poliwhirl. While my Pokemon could still fight if it had to, it wouldn't take much before being knocked out. Another hit from the Miltank's Rollout being able to cause such a result.

Taking another look at the Miltank, it thankfully no longer 'drinking', it wasn't had to see that most of its health had been restored to it. Scowling, I made the move to recall my current Pokemon.

"Thanks for the effort, Poliwhirl. You do a good job. Take a rest now." As I spoke, Poliwhirl turned towards me and gave a wary nod, not fighting off the red beam of light that drew it back inside its Pokeball. Clipping the Pokeball back onto my belt, I pulled off my last option.

Releasing Nidorino into the center of the battle field, I couldn't help the smirk that appeared at my Pokémon's loud roar, Nidorino pawing at the wed ground as it stared down the Miltank.

"Poison Sting then Horn Attack."

"We can handle this eas-! Hey! No fair!"

While Whitney had been talking, Nidorino had let lose a mouthful of poisoned needles, successfully hitting the other Pokémon's utter. Whether or not it was poisoned, though, remained unseen for the moment as the Miltank covered its sensitive utter, curling upon itself as it cried out in pain.

With the Miltank distracted from it pain, Nidorino charged in with his head faced downwards, his sharp horn leveled with the Miltank.

"Watch out, Miltank! Get out of the way!" Whitney called out desperately, but to no use. Nidorino continued on and hit the unresponsive Miltank head on, sending it flying back a good few feet until the Pokemon rolled to a stop.

We all waited with baited breath, maybe except Nidorino who was still glaring at the downed Pokemon, to see if it would get back up again. When it started to make the attempt to, I ran through a mental list of my possible options move and combo wise. Just as I was about to call out my next move order, the Miltank let out a pathetic cry and once again collapsed, curling into a ball as it wrapped its arms around its utter which at this point a was sure was poisoned.

As the referee called the match, as well as the overall battle, in my favor, Whitney ran over to her downed Pokemon, kneeling beside it.

I averted my eyes, offering the human and Pokemon just that much privacy. Instead, I congratulated Nidorino who was making his way back over towards me, his head held high like always after a win. I gave him an amused look and made a promise to give it a few Mago Berries once we got back to the Pokemon Center for its win, making my Pokemon stomp its front two legs and throw its head back in his own 'happy dance' that to anyone else might look like he was ready to fight again.

Rolling my eyes, I returned him. Amazing how such a small thing could make him so happy.

My eyes sought out Whitney again, who was still kneeling although her Pokemon had already been recalled. I swear that from the look on her face Whitney was ready to burst into tears, the girl hiccupping and rubbing at her eyes.

I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

Growing awkward with just standing there, I made hesitate steps towards the defeated Gym Leader. When I stopped next to her, she raised her head up to look at me, glaring that would have no doubt been more intimidating if not on the verge of tears.

"What? What do you want?" She demanded, getting to her feet with another hiccup.

I rubbed my arms, not sure whether to feel annoyed with her and demand for her to grow up or to apologize if only to get her to calm down.

She took my silence as an answer as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I guess you want my badge, don't you? Well, here. Here's the Plain Badge." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small badge, thrusting it rather harshly to me, scowling all the while.

I took it silently, pinning it to my shirt collar like I had done with Bugsy's Badge.

Giving me one last glare, Whitney spun on her heels and stalked towards the back of the battle field, heading towards a door that I had only just now noticed.

With the Gym Leader gone, I shrugged and turned to leave. I got what I had come for, no need to stay any longer.

I met Nathan back out in the lobby, offering the curious boy a grin as I pointed to the Badge pinned on my shirt. She let out a grin of his own and jumped me for a hug, yelling out his congratulations. I laughed, pushing Whitney's rude behavior to the back of my mind. There was no way that I was going to let such a person ruin my happy mood.

Three down, five to go.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	48. Chapter Forty Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Seven_

Having already dropped off my Pokemon to be healed and called up my parents to tell them about my latest victory, and with nothing better to do for the moment, I went out and walked around the city. Not knowing when Nathan would be done with his battle, keeping my own battle time in mind, I kept within the general area.

Without my Pokeballs upon my belt, I was thankfully not challenged to any Pokemon battles, having already put my Plain Badge away within my badge case for safe keeping. So instead of participating in battles, I got the chance to sit back and watch as other Trainer's fought against one another behind the Pokemon Center after growing bored with simply wondering the streets.

Most of the Pokemon were common, those that could be found easily out in the wild, but I did get the chance to see some more of the exotic Pokemon species. Unsurprisingly, such Pokemon belonged to the older Trainer's who had had the chance to travel around more in search of such Pokemon, though there was one peppy girl who just screamed 'rich and living off daddy's money' who had a Skitty of all things.

I had winced, though, when one Trainer was stupid enough to not only release a Gyarados, but the Trainer that he had been facing had her Ditto use Transform and turn into another Gyarados.

The resulting damage was, as expected from two such Pokemon, bad. Really, really, bad. After Nurse Joy had finished chewing them out, having stopped the match once one of the Gyarados' had almost hit the back of the Pokemon Center building, I was sure that neither would do such a thing again in their lives.

Joy's could be scary when they wanted, of that there's no doubt.

When all was done and over with, I had asked the female Trainer with the Ditto just where she had gotten it as she looked no older than Nathan and to my knowledge, Ditto's were pretty rare.

To find that not only did Ditto's, but other usually hard to find Pokemon happened to live just outside the city, caught my interest.

I really should be getting a new Pokemon, after all. Nothing like a little variety for future battles, even if I already had a total of nine. Besides, Nathan and I would be stuck here for a while anyways until my package arrived from my parents. Might as well make the best of it.

After getting directions to the best general area to find some more of the more uncommon Pokemon from Nurse Joy, the woman use to such a question, I took residence in one of the many chairs offered in the lobby and waited for Nathan to show up, a randomly grabbed magazine from the coffee table in front of my claimed chair to keep me entertained in the mean time.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan took a deep breath, in and out, in and out. He had made it this far, there was no way that he was about to give up now, especially not after his Geodude finally evolved into a Graveler!

He stared down Whitney's Miltank, the Pokemon looking slightly worse for wear then his own Pokemon. While Whitney was down to her last Pokemon, Nathan still had not only his Graveler, but his Croconaw as well, given his starter was still awake only just and in no condition to fight again.

Whitney's Clefairy had not been relenting in its use of Metronome.

"Again, Miltank! Rollout!"

Feeling ready to scream in frustration at the order, Nathan tried his best to counter.

"Magnitude!"

Nathan let out a sigh of relief as the move caused the rolling Miltank to miss Graveler. Not letting the moment go to waste, Nathan called out his next order after giving his Pokemon a brief regretful look, hoping to simply end the battle once and for all.

"Selfdestrust!"

With the close proximity of the two Pokemon, the resulting explosion had both being sent flying, Nathan covering his face with his arms while Whitney let out a loud squeal like scream that could only just be heard over the noise of the explosion.

When the dust settled, Nathan lowered his arms and took in his fainted Pokemon, his Graveler being a darkened black. Whitney's Miltank was, much to Nathan's relief and vague joy, also knocked out due to the explosion, the Pokémon's front burnt and scraped from flying rocks.

As the coughing referee called the battle as Nathan's win, due to his Croconaw having not been knocked out, Nathan liked to think that Sandra would have approved of his tactics.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Two different magazines latter, I was starting to grow bored. Just as I was about to get up and make my way towards the Gym, the doors to the Pokemon Center opened and in walked Nathan.

Jumping up, I tossed the magazine onto the table without a second thought and made my way over towards him. While curious about how his match had ended, I was a little more excited to tell him about my masterful plan on capturing new Pokemon in a way that made the act all the more appealing to me.

We met half way, a large grin on Nathan's face as we stopped in front of one another. I replied with a grin of my own.

"Take it you won?" I asked in a teasing tone, reaching out and playfully messing up his short black hair. He was in such a good mood that he didn't even bother to stop me, instead letting out a laugh that only children can manage.

As we walked to the front counter to drop off his Pokemon for healing, he told me about his 'epic' battle against Whitney. I made sure to 'oh' and 'aw' in all the right places, praising him on his well thought out battle tactics as well as his Geodude's evolution.

Once he was done telling me about his battle, even showing off his Badge to me, I had him go call his parents while I picked up my healed Pokemon and get another update on Growlithe's condition. Pleased to find that her leg was healing nicely, I made my way over to where Nathan was still talking to his parents. I waited in the background, not wanting to interrupt. Instead I pulled out my Pokedex and scrolled through the listed Pokemon, going over the Pokemon that Nurse Joy had said could be found around the city.

Most I skipped over, them being the ones that I either already owned, or didn't want to own for various reasons. There were a few, though, that caught my eye, Ditto only being one of them. I had to admit that I was rather surprised at the sheer amount of different Pokemon species that the area offered, Nurse Joy even telling me about a few rare sighting of wild Growlithe's running around. Not that I was interested in catching another Growlithe, I did none the less find the information interesting.

If my own Growlithe was fully up to it, I had no doubt that it would have been a sight to see her interact with her own kind. Amusing, if nothing else. Oh well, there would be other times to see such an event. As it was, I'd be leaving her in my rented room on my bed, both allowing her out of her Pokeball as well as in a situation where she wouldn't have to move around too much. Hopefully that'd keep her calm and happy for the time being.

Once I heard Nathan say his goodbyes to his parents, I put my Pokedex away and walked over; tapping him on his should and making him jump lightly, he whirled around to face me.

I grinned at his reaction, not able to help myself. As he scowled at me, moving to stand up from his seat at the computer/phone, I rocked back and forth on my heels, grinning all the while.

With a roll of his eyes, Nathan gave me a pointed look as he tried to intimidate my glare, though his returning smile gave him away.

"Okay, what are you planning?" He asked at last.

"Not much, really, just a little game to pass time." My tone was light, carefree. Nathan didn't buy it in the least. With an unbelieving look, I broke. I was a little to giddy to keep my idea to myself much longer.

"_Well_," I started, drawing out the word, "it's a competition of sorts." He raised an eyebrow, something that made me raise one of my own. He was really starting to take my facial expressions and make them his own; I couldn't help but notice such with a smug sense of pride at the action.

"Nothing much, just enough to make things interesting. You see, while you were battling Whitney for your badge, I got bored and watched some of the Trainer's battle. During one such battle, I made the most _interesting_ discovery."

"And that would be…?"

'Why a Pokemon catching contest of course!" I answered in a perky tone, one that I rarely used.

Nathan started at me blankly, blinking every few seconds as if not really seeing me.

"You…want to have a Pokemon catching contest?" His tone was that of disbelief.

I nodded, a smirk of a grin on my lips.

"Yep." I said, popping the 'p'. "As it turns out, the surrounding area is the home of quite a few of the rarer Pokemon, or at least harder to find Pokemon. So I got thinking that since we'll be here for a few days, we might as well have some fun. What do you say?"

Nathan cocked his head to the side, putting on a look that one usually had when mock thinking about something that they already knew the answer to.

"What exactly are the rules?" He finally asked.

"It's simple, really. We both go out and try to catch the rarest Pokemon in the area. We'll have Nurse Joy be the judge, the winner getting say on dinner for the next week."

The last bit really caught Nathan's attention. We always fought when it came to dinner, seeming to never agree on the meal. It almost always ended in a coin flip, the winner getting their choice on that night's dinner. While not much, it was the best that I could come up with that wouldn't really cost that much money wise.

Nathan nodded once before giving a verbal answer. "You're on." He said with a determined look, a grin on his face as he held out a hand.

Giving a grin of my own, I shook his hand to cement the deal.

This should be fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note:** While looking up the Pokemon that can be found on the route that I'm planning on using, there were two conflicting listings, so instead of picking only one I've decided to combine the two, hence the wild Growlithes. Just thought I should mention.


	49. Chapter Forty Eight

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Eight_

We headed out the next morning, wanting to have a full day's time for our little 'game' of sorts. We had agreed on the rules the night before, having already asked Nurse Joy to be our judge when the time came and for two lists of the Pokemon in the surrounding area to keep things fair for Nathan as he didn't have a Pokedex of his own just yet.

I had switched out my Pokemon earlier that morning, just before we sat down for a quick breakfast. With Growlithe in my room, Nurse Joy having promised to go up and check in on her ever hour and a half until we returned, I had with me Nidorino, Noctowl, Haunter, Flaaffy, and Sandslash, my Sandshrew having evolved a little while back without much needed prompt.

Nathan had with him his starter, Croconaw, his Pidgeotto, Raticate, Haunter, Arbok, and Misdreavus.

Planning to meet back up in time for a late lunch around three, we set off in our separate ways, both determined to find the rarest Pokemon species in the surrounding area.

I was quick in letting out Noctowl and Haunter, plans already going through my mind for the best way on finding some of the harder to find Pokemon. I'd be a fool to think that simply walking around and hoping to encounter a wild Pokemon would work with the species that I had in mind. Of the known Pokemon in the surrounding area, there were four different species that had managed to really catch my attention. Ditto being one, there was also Drowzee, Abra, and finally Yanma. Any of the four would please me, given some more than others, but at least I had a set goal in mind.

"We're on a hunt, today." I started things off with, a smirk of a grin on my face as I eyed my two curious Pokemon. "Nathan and I are having a little contest on who can catch the rarest Pokemon, and I need your help in tracking down one of four Pokemon I'm looking for down."

I pulled out my Pokedex, quickly scrolling through it until I found what I was looking for. Without having to say another word, I turned my Pokedex so that the screen was facing my Pokemon, waiting a few seconds as they took in the image of the Ditto before moving onto showing them pictures of an Abra, Drowzee, and finally a Yanma.

When I was sure that they knew the forms of the four different Pokemon, I moved on and gave them their orders on just what to do when they were to come across such a Pokemon on my list.

"As much as I dislike admitting it, the easiest way to go about this is if when one of you find a Pokemon, just come back and find me. No doubt if you two engage them in a battle, they'll either Teleport away or simply flee." I said, making a slightly annoyed face.

My Pokemon gave me a curious look, but accepted my words at face value and made their agreement clear by Haunter bobbing in a nod-like fashion while Noctowl gave a light trill.

Without further prompting, the two took on in opposite directions, Haunter going one step further and becoming a true ghost, fading from view.

With them keeping an eye out, I started walking as well, taking slow and near soundless steps as I kept my own eyes peeled for any sudden movements or colors that don't normally belong among green trees.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Haunter was the first of the two back, its grinning face appearing to the left of me without warning. Resisting the strong urge to jump back, I placed a hand over my racing heart, waiting for it to calm back down as I gave Haunter an un-amused look.

It simply gave one of its crackle of a laugh, bobbing in the air, none too concerned about giving me a near heart attack from its reappearing act.

"Find one already?" I asked after a few second letting my hand drop back down to my side. Haunter gave a smirk of a smile, nodding its floating head in an almost lazy way. "Lead the way then, by all means." I said as I made a sweeping motion with my hands.

Not needing anymore prompting, my Haunter turned and began drifting in the direction that it had appeared from. As I followed, I watched my steps, not wanting to accidently step on a branch and scare away whichever Pokemon that Haunter had managed to come across. That would be just my luck.

When Haunter stopped moving, well, drifting, my Pokemon turned just enough to where its side was facing me as it pointed with one of its disembodied, floating hands, to the area in front of it. I moved to stand next to my Pokemon, my curiosity finally peaking as I swept my eyes over the small clearing, large rocks and a single fallen tree being the first thing that my eyes processed to my brain before the color yellow caught my attention.

Blinking in vague surprise, I turned and gave Haunter an impressed look. "Good job, Haunter. This is quite something." I whispered my compliment, not wanting to raise my voice any louder and risk the chance of scaring off the three Drowzees and two Abras who had claimed the clearing as their own for the moment. I gave a stray thought as to why they hadn't already noticed Haunter and me, but I chalked it up to having to do something with the fact that all five Pokemon in the clearing were Psychic while Haunter was both Ghost and Poison. I really didn't want to question my luck.

The two Abras were both asleep. One was laid upon a large, yet smooth at the top rock, its limbs spread out as the sun light that managed to break through the surrounding trees covered the Pokemon. The other was laid with its back propped up against the same rock, its head bent forwards and legs sprawled out.

Of the three Drowzees, one was also sleeping, it being curled up on the ground near the second Abra while the other two Drowzees spoke to one another about who knows what a little bit away from their sleeping companions but still close enough if need be.

I debated with myself back and forth about what I wanted to do with such a possibility. As it was, I could either one, select one of the present wild Pokemon, focusing all my attention on it alone, or two, go after them all much like how I did with the Gastlys as Sprout Tower. Given, then it was more of an 'Oh my god, I'm surrounded!' kind of thing, but that didn't mean that I couldn't do what I did then as well and see if I could possible trade off whichever of the Pokemon that I didn't want/need.

The face of the boy that I had traded one of my old Gastly's to appear in my mind's eye, his look of sheer joy and amazement popping up. It had been a nice feeling, knowing that my seemingly simple gesture of offering something as small as a Pokemon to someone who really wants one held the power of causing such a reaction.

With that thought in mind, I gave a ghost of a grin (no pun intended) and looked at my Haunter with a plan in mind. I've said it once, and no doubt I'll say it again; might as well make the best of my situation, and if that meant the possibility of helping out others, then so be it.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	50. Chapter Forty Nine

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Forty Nine_

I stumbled through the door of the Pokemon Center, a dazed look on my face. Blinking slowly, I shook my head as if to clear it, though the attempt did little to help. Beside me walked my Sandslash, my hand resting on top of its head as it carefully led me over towards one of the free seats offered in the lobby. As I sat, I absent mindedly patted Sandslash's head, offering my Pokemon a distracted sounding 'thank you'.

Sandslash remained at my side as my mind slowly cleared, the last effects of a wayward Confuse Ray shot from Haunter lifting. Giving my head another shake, I winced and placed a hand on my temple. Who knew the after effects of a Confuse Ray left one with a headache?

Fir the next few minutes, I stayed still, not wanting to make any sudden movements less my head pound even more so than it already was. When I was sure that I would be able to stand without feeling sick or my head spinning, I slowly stood and thanked my Sandslash one last time before returning it to its Pokeball.

In my excitement of finding five supposedly 'rare' Pokemon in one go, I had somehow managed to forget that Haunter was not the best choice to use when fighting against five Psychics, being part Poison type. My brain had remembered such a fact, though, when one of the Drowzees had used Confusion on Haunter, nearly taking it out in that one go. Given, Haunter had managed to hit a Drowzee and Abra with a Mean Look before the group of five finally took notice of us due to our advantage of surprise, but after that first hit, I had been scrambling to let out another of my Pokemon, Sandslash just happening to be the one that I had pulled off first shortly followed by Flaaffy.

The Abra that hadn't been hit by Haunter's Mean Eye had fled without a second glance our way, using Teleport to get away. The other Abra who hadn't been so lucky was left sitting in the middle of the battle, the three Drowzees facing off against my Sandslash and Flaaffy, I all the while cursing myself for my carless move, already being out two Pokemon, and my last Pokemon also a Poison-Type, so there was little chance that I was going to let Nidorino out to join the fight.

With Haunter at my side and my other two present Pokemon in front of me, I sent out order after order, moving to first immobilize the wild and fighting Drowzees before actually moving in to weaken them with attacks.

With Flaaffy throwing out Thunder Wave after Thunder Wave and Sandslash blinding them with Sand-Attack with mixes of Poison Sting in between in a wild hope of one of the wild Pokemon getting poisoned, Haunter finished off the valley of attacks by throwing out Confuse Rays, one of them accidentally hitting my from behind after I had unknowingly moved to stand in front of Haunter.

That was where things started to get blurry, my world looking as if it had been tilted on its side with me falling off the side. It had been far the weirdest experience that had ever happened to me, and not something that I would ever want to go through again in given the chance.

Somehow, during my laps into brief insanity, I had managed to yell out for Haunter to go for my bag and use some of my Pokeballs to catch the wild Pokemon. Whether or not that was how my actual words came out, I wasn't all that sure, much less if Haunter was actually able to do as I had wanted.

When I had started to regain my bearings, as in no longer freaking out and holding onto the trunk of a tree for dear life, Haunter had been knocked out with my backpack opened with items spilled out around it. Flaaffy had been looking slightly worse of the two between it and Sandslash, breathing heavily while bent forward more than normal for it. Noctowl had even returned at some point, standing proudly next to me with a curious look in its eye.

With shaking hands, I had returned the three, leaving out Sandslash to help guide me back to the Pokemon Center after carefully repacking my bag, not even thinking to check how many Pokeballs I had to the moment compared to how many I had when I first headed out.

Which brings me back to the present.

I made way towards the front counter, offering the concerned Nurse Joy a tired smile while unclipping my Pokeballs one by one, Nurse Joy getting the hint and quickly sliding over a tray for me to place my Pokeballs on.

"Are you well, Sandra?" She asked once I had placed the last of my Pokeballs upon the tray, sliding it back to her.

"Oh course, just tired is all." I offered another weak smile, hoping to put to rest her worry for me.

"Did you manage to catch the Pokemon that you wanted?" Nurse Joy moved on to ask, seemingly taking my answer at face value.

I blinked once, twice, three times.

"That's a very good question. If you'll excuse me, Nurse Joy." Not wanting for a response, I turned and slowly made my way over to the Center's computer designed with Trainers in mind. Sitting down in front of it, I quickly typed in my Trainer I.D and password, waiting rather impatiently for it to load.

When it had finally loaded, I used the mouse to check on my stored Pokemon, tapping my foot the few second it took to load the page I wanted. As it popped up, I held my breath as my eyes jumped to the bottom of the small list, or more precisely, my most recently caught Pokemon.

I couldn't help it; I grinned widely.

There, at the end of the list, were two new digital pictures. One of a Drowzee, and the other that of an Abra.

Considering that Haunter had been the one to actually throw the Pokeballs for me, and even though I had originally been aiming for all five of the Psychic Pokemon, this was better than nothing. I spared a moment to let out a light laugh at the thought that entered my mind; Haunter, the one Pokemon that my Pokemon at the time had virtually voted on to let be captured by me, had helped me by catching other wild Pokemon.

Funny how fate works at times.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan showed up another two hours later, at while point I had already received back my now healed Pokemon, swapped out Haunter and Flaaffy for my newly caught Drowzee and Abra, and gone up to check in on Growlithe for myself with some food for her. I had even amused myself by checking out the stats of my two newest Pokemon, going over their list of known moves. With Abra only knowing Teleport, compared to Drowzee knowing a good decent amount of different moves, I had silently put Abra on the list of Pokemon that I would be trading off if at all possible.

I had been hearing whispers amongst the other Trainers staying in the Center about a new building meant for Trainers to trade with one another all over the world on the far side of the city. It was about time to see if the rumors were true or not.

When Nathan did enter the Pokemon Center, he had on one of the biggest grins that I had ever seen on him, and when he spotted me, he jogged over with his grin growing even larger, if that was at all possible.

He didn't even greet me, he was so excited. He simply reached for my hand, pulling my up from my claimed chair and over to where Nurse Joy stood behind the front counter with an amused look on her face as she watched Nathan drag me over.

"I take it that you're ready for me to judge your Pokemon?" She asked Nathan more than me, to which Nathan responded to by a vigorous head nod and laugh, pulling out a plain looking red and white Pokeball from his pants pocket.

"Yep! And I'm _sooo_ going to win!" He proclaimed, puffing out his chest at the last bit.

Reaching over to muse up his hair, not that he particularly cared at the moment, I pulled out the Pokeball holding Drowzee. I figured that I might as well show off the Pokemon that I planned on keeping, after all.

"At the count of three, release your caught Pokemon onto the counter. One," Nathan and I both enlarged out selected Pokeballs, "two," Nathan started jumping on the balls of his feet, eagerly aiming his Pokeball at the counter, "three!"

Without further prompting, we both released out newly caught Pokemon. Drowzee appeared in front of me, glaring daggers at me the moment that I released it though didn't do anything to act out. I gave a pleased grin at it, though it might have come out more of a mocking grin as the Drowzee stiffened with its glare hardening. Dropping my smirk, I looked over to see just what Pokemon that Nathan had caught, only to see a pink blob of a Pokemon that could easily be passed off for a large pile of silly putty, though its wiggling form would make anyone think twice about proclaiming such a thing.

Nathan had managed to catch a Ditto.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a quick thanks to all of my amazing reviewers! I'm not at an amazing 60 reviews, and while that might not seem that much to some, for a Author just starting out, it means a lot ^.^ Once again, thank you, my readers and my reviewers.


	51. Chapter Fifty

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty_

Pushing open the doors to the new Global Terminal, I blocked out Nathan's continuous joyous cries of 'I won, I won!' with an eye roll yet amused smile tugging at my lips.

Despite having caught two 'rare' Pokemon, Nurse Joy had declared Nathan as the winner of our little game. Given, the tides might have changed in my favor if I had included my caught Abra along with my Drowzee, but I didn't dwell over it all that much. I'd let Nathan savor the victory and pick out what we had for dinner for the week; I had after all gotten two Pokemon out of it all, and if I was lucky, maybe able to trade Abra for another.

Walking over to the front desk, I returned the woman's smile as well as I could, Nathan trailing behind me as he looked over the room, now silent.

"Welcome to Goldenrod's Global Terminal! How might I assist you today?" She asked in a perky voice, though for once not one that made me want to react violently to.

Giving a shrug, I tried my best to answer. "Can you explain how one goes about trading their Pokemon here?"

"Of course!" The woman chirped back happily. "It's quite simple, really. There are three different ways that one can go about trading their Pokemon. No matter which option that you chose, the first step is to take your selected Pokemon that you wish to trade and use one of our offered machines," she motioned with her hand the numerous number of machines that looked quite similar to the machines that two people usually use when trading Pokemon, only these machines having a single holding place for one's Pokeball, "to deposit your Pokemon.

"From there, you can either one, set the trade to the specific Pokemon that you wish in return for you own Pokemon, or two, see what other Trainer's are willing to trade in exchange for your deposited Pokemon. The third and final option is to go to our main data base and search for whichever Pokemon that you would like to see what other's want in exchange.

"No matter which option that you may choose, the use of our machines is free for Trainers as long as you use your Trainer card for identification. And if you do change your mind after depositing you Pokemon, you can of course withdraw your Pokemon. If you have any more questions about any of our other offered devices on the upper flood, please don't hesitate to ask."

I blinked at the sheer amount of information that I had been told, trying my best to take it all in without forgetting. It wouldn't do for me to make a stupid mistake, something that I might have avoided if I had listened better.

When I was sure that I had at least a basic grasp on what had been said, I nodded my thanks and headed over to a free machine. I was honestly surprised at seeing so many other Trainers, though at the same time just as thankful for the place not being overrun as well. Nathan still trailed behind me, eyeing the different machines with a curious eye. Giving him a smirk of a smile, I ruffled his hair and waved my hand at him, silently telling him that he was free to look around and do as he pleased. He didn't have to follow me around everywhere, after all.

With a wide grin, he nodded once and ran off to the next open machine, one that happened to be a little ways away from mine own though not so far away that I couldn't find him if need be.

Looking over the computer-like-device, I reached up and tapped the screen as there was no mouse or key board. Pleased to find that I had been right in guessing that the screen was a touch-screen, I did as the computer asked and slid in my Trainer I.D card into the correct slot on the side of the monitor. I had to wait a few second for the machine to register my I.D, but it didn't take long before the message 'Welcome, Sandra Chandler!' popped up, my Trainer I.D stated just below my name.

After giving the screen another tap, the message disappeared, a menu now opening, listing different options for me to try.

My curiosity got the better of me, so instead of simply setting out for what I wanted to do, I instead pressed my finger against the option 'Search for Pokemon'.

I blinked in surprise as a list of the different regions took the place of the menu. So they separated the Pokemon species to their regions? That actually made sense.

Tapping on my own region, I again blinked when a long list of Pokemon names were shown, there being varying numbers at the far left of the name. Hitting the first name on the list, a Chikorita which had the number 'thirty-one' next to it, I gave a soft 'huh' at the list of different Trainer's that were offering up the Pokemon for trade. Scrolling to the bottom of the list, the last Trainer was numbered 'thirty-one'.

So not only did they have the Pokemon split up according to their home region, but also had the total count of just how many Trainer's were offering a specific Pokemon up for trade. I had to admit, the system was quite genius. They had everything laid out to where even the youngest of Trainer's could hopefully understand it.

Shaking my head, I found the 'Back' button and backed up to the Menu screen. Hitting the deposit option, I pulled off Abra's Pokeball from my belt and placed it where the machine indicated it to be set. Hitting the 'Okay' button, I watched as the Pokeball was taken by the machine, Abra's name and a brief description appearing on the screen a few seconds later, asking for my conformation on whether or not this was the Pokemon that I had meant to deposit. Tapping 'Yes', I was brought back to the Menu, this time there being a small, digital sized copy of Abra on the top right hand corner of the screen.

Amused more than anything, I then pressed my finger against the option 'Search for Matching Trades'.

After a few seconds of waiting, a decent size list appeared of the different Trainers that wanted an Abra, along with what Pokemon that they were offering in return. Scrolling through the list, I disregarded all those that were offering Pokemon that could be easily found on my own or ones that I already owned. That left only a few, but among those few was one that really caught my eye.

It was a Magnemite, both a Pokemon that I didn't already own as well as part of a Type that I didn't own.

Tapping on the Trainer's name that was offering it, I was greeted with a brief description of the Pokemon, as in a list of its known moves and power level. Skimming over the stats, some of the moves jumped out at me, moves that I was pretty sure Magnemite didn't learn naturally.

After debating about it a bit more mentally, I had finally given in, the pros outweighing the cons in my mind. Tapping on the 'Trade' option, I hit the 'Confirm' and waited.

It took a minute's wait, but soon enough a red and white Pokeball appeared where I had placed the Pokeball containing Abra. Reaching over to pick it up, I pulled out my Pokedex and held it over the Pokeball in my hand, reading the information that the device brought up. My device confirmed what had been shown on the screen, showing the same stats and move list. With a pleased smile that might have been more of a smirk than anything, I minimized the Pokeball holding my newest Pokemon and clipped it on my belt where Abra once was.

As it was, my current team was composed of Nidorino, Noctowl, Growlithe (who was still lying in my room at the Pokemon Center), Sandslash, Flaaffy, and now, Magnemite.

As I headed over to see how Nathan was doing, I couldn't help but think that this had been a great way to end the day, even if I had lost Nathan's and my competition.

I just had to jinx myself.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Wow. I have to say, I'm amazed that I've managed to come this far so soon. Only a couple months in posting this, and already at chapter 50 with a little over 80,000 words. I don't know about you all, my amazing readers, but I feel as if this is a big moment for me, with hopefully more to come in the future.

So here's to you all, chapter 50. You guys have my thanks for sticking with me from the beginning to now, and for the chapters that have yet to come. Until next time.


	52. Chapter Fifty One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty One_

I left Nathan where he was, the boy having become completely enthralled with the trading device. Given, he wasn't exactly planning on trading off any of him Pokemon, at least that I know of, but that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy looking through all of the other trades, in particular for the Pokemon species that had caught his eye.

For the time that I had been standing next to him, I had paid attention to just which Pokemon that he had been specifically looking up, only to tuck away that information for future use as I was pretty sure that Nathan had mentioned for his birthday to be only roughly a month away. If I was lucky, I might be able to get my sister to go out and find a certain Pokemon for me to give to Nathan on his birthday. She owed me a favor, anyway, and this would be the perfect way for her to return it.

Offering the woman at the front counter a silent wave and small smile, I pushed through the doors and stepped back out on the streets of Goldenrod. As I made my way back to the Pokemon Center, I couldn't help but be silently grateful that there weren't nearly as many people out given that it was close to dusk. It was nice not having to deal with having to concentrate on not running into other, or having others run into me.

After having Nidorino taken from me by a little girl 'bumping' into me, I had become weary of allowing others brushing up against me. Rightfully so, I thought, even if Nathan had taken to calling me paranoid. Well, that was until I asked how he would fair if his Croconaw was stolen from him simply because he had a run in with a stranger. He hadn't brought up my new tendency of dealing with other humans after that.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp evening air, I let a small grin form on my face, my hands in my pockets. It really was a nice night out.

My peace was shattered, though, with the sudden appearance of a Kadabra. I didn't even have time to jump before the Pokemon was grabbing hold of my arm and whisking me away.

When I next gained my bearings, I found myself cornered by five different boys, my back pressed against a wall of a run-down and dirty room. I say boys because none of them exactly looked older than me, one maybe looking my age. The youngest look only a little older then Nathan, and even then, not by much. The Kadabra stood next to the oldest looking boy, silent and unmoving now that its job was done. I glared at the Pokemon briefly before turning my attention back to the five boys surrounding me.

Of the five of them, three were dressed in all black. Black shirts, black cargo pants, even black tennis shoes. One, though, had purple looking patches sewn in throughout his black cargo pants, something that sparked a memory in my mind.

With a snarl I glared daggers at the three, my anger with the situation rising when I recognized them, or at least their outfits, of those that were responsible for Growlithe's injury. These three were no doubt also part of that growing gang that Officer Jenny had told me about. At least now I could understand just how those caught were able to disappear, the Kadabra standing next to the boy with the purple patches. The youngest of the three flinched and avoided eye contact, but stayed where he was in between the other two of the gang.

The last two boys were dressed in baggy clothes, the one standing next to the oldest gang member dressed in a large white shirt that nearly came to his knees, his blue jeans in result being half covered. The last boy wore a large plain blue shirt, his pants looking the same as the other boy's, being baggy blue jeans.

Not amused in the least, I straighten and crossed my arms over my stomach, glaring at the eldest boy in the group, having mentally declared him the ring leader.

"What in the hell is the meaning of this?" I asked him quietly, seething silently.

He gave me a cocky grin that made me want nothing more to do than go over and slap it off his face.

"You made the wrong enemy's out of us." He started off, returning my stance by crossing his own arms over his chest. "Now you're going to pay for it."

I gave him an un-amused as my brain tried to think about just how I had made an 'enemy' out of the five before me. While I could theoretically guess about the want to be gang members, I couldn't place where I might have angered the other two.

"Is that so." I said in more of a statement than a question. "Before you five go about your 'revenge', might I know just what I did to deserve this 'pay back'?"

Before the eldest could respond, the boy wearing the blue shirt spoke up, a nasty sneer on his face as he glared at me.

"You know exactly what you did! Don't try to play dumb!" He shouted out, his hands clenched at his sides. At my blank look, he angrily pointed an accusing finger at me. "You attacked us back in Florando and put our boss in jail! Don't tell me you forgot what you did to us already!"

I blinked, tilting my head to the side as I thought back to what he was talking about, the memory coming back to me. Of course I hadn't forgotten. If what he said was true, then he was part of the group that had stolen Nidorino from me.

So not only was I dealing with the group who had attempted to steal my starter from me, but also the gang who had injured Growlithe to such a degree in an attempt to capture her.

My hackles raised, I gave the boy the fiercest glare I could while I snarled out my reply. "You stupid, idiotic boy. If you thought that I was going to simply let you steal one of my Pokemon from me and do nothing in return to get him back, then you lot deserved everything that you got. How you and your friend didn't manage to get caught by the police as well is pure luck given your low intelligence level."

The boy shook in rage, visibly seething by the end of my little rant. Without warning, he closed the distance between us with his clenched fist pulled back, throwing it forward when he was close enough with an enraged cry.

I took the hit on my face, the boy having hit my cheek. I dropped to my knee, my side to them as I pressed a hand against my burning cheek, a grimace on my face. Eyeing them out of the corner of my eye, I watched at the remaining four moved to restrain the boy who had hit me, none of them paying attention to me for the moment. Why it took all four of them I didn't know, but I wasn't about to complain.

Pleased that my ill-thought out plan worked, I quickly grabbed two Pokeballs from my belt and silently enlarged them. Without warning, I released the two Pokemon, Nidorino and Flaaffy appearing with a cry, Nidorino even more so when he took in the situation, seeing me on the ground with an already swelling cheek with a small dribble of blood at the side of my mouth.

The group of boys all jumped back in surprise, only now seemingly to remember that not only did I have Pokemon, but they didn't take them from me when they had the chance.

When they moved to release their own Pokemon, I had already called out orders as I replaced Nidorino's and Flaaffy's Pokeballs on my belt, reaching for another pair.

"ThunderShock on all and Horn Attack on Pokemon." My Pokemon carried out my orders within seconds, Flaaffy letting out a slightly stronger than normal ThunderShock with a cry, not only paralyzing them, but also causing them some amount of pain. Nidorino charged towards the dazed Kadabra, hitting it full on its stomach with his horn, sending the Pokemon flying back at the sheer power of the attack. Without having to be told to, Nidorino then let out a Poison Sting, nailing the fallen Pokemon full on the face, making it cry out weakly before finally fainting.

While this was going on, I quickly enlarged then released my next two Pokemon, letting out Noctowl and Sandslash. I didn't want to release Magnemite yet, if only because I didn't know how it would react to me, let alone in a battle.

I sent Noctowl on the job of using Hypnosis on the five boys, them all glaring at me. Before Noctowl began, I gave them a word of advice.

"If you all were smart, you'd forget about me and your pathetic revenge. The fact of the matter is I was in the right both times. You lot attempted to steal my starter from me," I gave a pointed look at the two boys wearing the baggy clothes, Nidorino letting out a low growl as it moved to stand in front of me almost protectively, "and two of your members attempted to steal another of my Pokemon, badly injuring it because of it. Revenge for the right reasons is one thing, but revenge simply because you were caught and beaten for your illegal actions is another."

With that out of the way, I nodded towards Noctowl who then moved onto placing them all in a deep sleep. Letting out a sigh, I fell back from my kneeling position and gently rubbed at my swollen cheek, wincing. Flaaffy, who was still standing next to me, placed a paw on my arm and made a questioning sound, a worried look upon its face. Giving not only it, but the rest of my Pokemon a small smile, I gave them my thanks and praised them on a job well done.

As I once again eyed the sleeping five boys, I let out another sigh and removed my hand from my cheek, wiping at the blood line trailing out of the corner of my mouth. Looking over to Sandslash, who was also eyeing me with a worried gaze, I motioned it over to me.

"I need you to go out and find the police for me, bringing them back here. Can you do that for me?" I asked quietly, it hurting to talk. My Pokemon gave a quick nod, turning around and dropping to all fours as it ran out of the room and hopefully out of where ever we were taken too.

Sighing for a third time, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall behind me. I felt Flaaffy lean up against my side, letting out a soft cry as it buried its face in my shirt, its small paws gripping onto my arm still. I heard Nidorino move briefly in what sounded like he was lying down in front of me. Otherwise, he remained silent. Noctowl moved over to my other side, towering over me as it worked on preening my hair. I held my tongue, not wanting my Pokemon to stop as it actually felt nice.

For the first time, I acknowledged the bond that was between me and my Pokemon. While maybe never able to admit my love for them out loud or in words, our actions were plenty enough to show that we were truly growing to care for one another, and that was more than enough as I leaned again Noctowl's feathered body, bringing Flaaffy with me as I placed a hand upon its fluffy head, absent-mindedly running my fingers through the soft fur-like-cotton.

Yes, our actions were more than enough for us.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Sandslash returned rather quickly with a small group of bewildered police members. When they saw the five sleeping boys and me standing, leaning against the wall with my Pokemon still out and surrounding me, though, they immediately began to question me as Sandslash moved to join our little group, standing next to Nidorino as a protector of sorts on the off chance that anything were to happen further to me.

Given the fact that I was surrounded by Pokemon that weren't about to let anyone, not even an officer, past one of the officers took my statement about what had happened a little ways away from my glaring Nidorino and hunched over Sandslash, ready to move at a moment's notice.

I had told him the entire story, leaving nothing out. He had thanked me, especially when I had pointed out just how the gang members were most likely able to keep escaping due to their Psychic Pokemon.

I had been free to go after giving my Pokegear number in case they needed to question me again. With my Pokemon remaining out, it took some maneuvering for us all to leave the small, run-down house. Flaaffy still had hold of the hem of my shirt, much like how Nathan sometimes held onto me when in large crowds. Sandslash led the way next to Nidorino, Noctowl taking to the sky as soon as we hit outside, lazily flying over us as it seemed to call down directions to Nidorino and Sandslash. As such, it didn't take long for us to finally reach the Pokemon Center.

I was met with a worried Nathan in the lobby, the boy running towards me when my Pokemon and I walked through the doors. Unsurprisingly, my Pokemon let him pass them, though Nidorino did let out a short and small growl at the running human until he made out just who the human was.

Nathan very nearly tackled me into a tight hug, soon asking just where I had been and why I hadn't been at the Pokemon Center when he got back like I said I would be, and just _why_ was my cheek swollen and bruised?

With a chuckle, I lead him over to an empty seat in the lobby, my four Pokemon following behind, where I retold the story of what had happened to me. Nathan, worried more than ever, declared that as soon as my package from my parents arrived, we were leaving. I agreed whole heartedly, much to Nathan's relief.

I had more than enough of excitement for one week.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a quick thanks to those that had reviewed last chapter. Because of you five, the last chapter has earned the record of the most reviews for one chapter ^.^ Thank you, guys.


	53. Chapter Fifty Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Two_

My parent's package arrived a few days later, at which point Nathan and I were both antsy on getting out of Goldenrod. It wasn't that we were scared of being attacked again; we just wanted to _leave_ and keep moving. We were already looking towards nearly a week's travel to reach Ecruteak City as it was, and that was if we didn't stop for anything besides sleeping and food breaks.

Thankfully, I hadn't been called to the police station for whatever reason, though they did call up two days after the 'attack' to let me know that they had followed up on my hunch concerning the Psychic Pokemon and as such, they were still in hold of the three 'gang' members as well as the two other boys, who were being charged with Pokemon thievery as well attempted assault. Hopefully now the police would finally be able to disrupt their town's growing gang once and for all now that they knew to look out for Psychic Pokemon. Why they didn't think of such an option before, I didn't know, and I wasn't about to point out the faulty of the police, especially not to their face.

While waiting on my parent's package, I had finally gotten around to releasing my newest Pokemon, Magnemite, from its Pokeball to see how it would fit into my team. To my slight amusement, I found it to be near emotionless, seeming to be unfazed by both me being its new Trainer, and to the rest of my Pokemon and Nathan. It just kind of… floated there in lack of better terms. Given, it would do as I asked of it while in training and even in the few battles that I had it par take in while in Goldenrod, but besides that, it was just sort of _there_.

I still haven't decided on how I felt about that.

On the other hand, my new Drowzee more than made up for Magnemite's lack of personality. Having not taken to kindly to me for capturing it and one of its friends, only to trade it off within the day, it would be an understatement to say that Drowzee was unpleased with me. Much like with Horsea when I had first received it, I found that I had to have another Pokemon out and present with me whenever I released the Drowzee from its Pokeball for training if I wanted it to even so much as listen to me, much less not try and attack me. Given, it had only tried such a thing once, but I wasn't about to take any chances with it for the time being.

I liked my body how it was, thank you very much.

On a good note, Growlithe's injured leg was in much better condition given the fact that she hadn't had to use it to really move anywhere, almost everything being provided to her during our stay, and having been looked over by Nurse Joy every day to speed up the healing process however marginal. As it was, Nurse Joy was positive that by the time that we reached Ecruteak city, Growlithe's leg would be as good as new. Of course if wouldn't hurt to double check with the Joy of the city, but the possibility was a comforting one none the less.

When it came time to finally leave, I tucked away my new Vs. Recorder into my bag, not nearly as impressed with it as I had been with by previous gifts. Nothing against my parents, I just wasn't exactly all the excited about being able to record my Pokemon battles. That was more of Nathan's thing, who had virtually gushed over it in excitement when I had finally opened the box. No doubt he'll end up using it more than me.

After bidding the Joy of Goldenrod a final farewell, Nathan and I headed out, much to both of our joy (no pun intended). I had to admit, it was rather weird to be back on the road without Growlithe out walking beside me. For the moment, she was actually inside her Pokeball, Nurse Joy having given strict orders for her to not walk more than absolutely needed until at least we reached Ecruteak to be on the safe side.

Nathan tried to strike up a conversation at a few different times, and I always tried to best to reply to them, but it became obvious pretty quick that I wasn't exactly in a chatty mood. Despite such, Nathan did his best to fill the silence to which I was grateful for.

The first day of our travel past quickly, there being more than enough Trainers and wild Pokemon for Nathan to challenge to keep himself entertained, I myself only taking to battling a small handful of the other Trainer's out and about when challenged, leaving the wild Pokemon alone all together. Before we knew it, the day was coming to an end and we were looking for a place to spend the night.

As we settled in for the night, a fire already going and dinner finished, I sat on my sleeping bag with Growlithe lying next to me, Noctowl flying off to find its own dinner, and Nidorino lying on my other side. Across from me, Nathan matched my position, sitting crossed legged on his own sleeping bag with his Croconaw dozing at his side and his Misdreavus out and about doing who-knows-what. From his place, he gave a small yawn before asking me a question that I had been expecting for a while now.

"So, do you think that we can check out that National Park? Maybe even do that Bug-Catching Contest?" Nathan asked both hopefully and slyly, as if he didn't mind either way, though I knew that not to be the case. Every since he had gone up against one of the many Trainer's who favored Bug-Types and told us about said Bug-Catching Contest, Nathan had been itching to check out the National Park that was home to many Bug-Types that were otherwise hard to find elsewhere.

The thought hadn't exactly caught my interest until the Bug crazed boy had mentioned the prize of the contest to Nathan and me. While the thought of owning a Bug-Type didn't exactly appeal to me, the thought of winning an evolution stone _did_. At their regular prices, the chance of winning one was simply too great of a chance to ignore. And if the stone that was offered wasn't one of the ones that I needed for my Pokemon then I could just as easily sell it for the money and buy the one of the ones that I _did_ need.

Feigning a bored look, I first gave a small shrug before giving a verbal answer. "I don't see why not. We should reach it tomorrow, having more than enough time to join in the contest."

Nathan gave a grin in reply, it being easy to see that he was now looking forward to tomorrow. With a roll of my eyes, I told Nathan to get some sleep or tomorrow would never come.

With a sigh, Nathan got inside his sleeping bag, Croconaw waking up long enough to change positions to where it was curled up next to Nathan's side, falling asleep soon after. Nathan was close after, the day's travel having taken a lot out of him.

With a near silent hum, I placed another small log on the steadily dying fire, not quite tired enough to sleep just yet. Leaning back and using one of my arms for support, I reached over with my free hand, absent mindedly running my fingers through Growlithe's fur, my Pokemon opening an eye only long enough to give me a tired look of her own before closing them again.

For the next hour, I went over my options concerning tomorrow. I was determined to win the contest and get an evolution stone, even if that meant catching a Bug-Type. If nothing else, tomorrow promised to be an interesting day.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It seemed that all too quickly did morning come. It felt like I had only just fallen asleep, only to be woken up by an excited Nathan. The boy was running through our 'camp', packing up his things as he chatted to his Pokemon as if he could understand what his Croconaw was saying in return.

Sitting, I stretched, popping by back in the process. Rubbing at my eyes, I blinked groggily at Nathan, not quite fully awake. At his urging, though, I finally got up and had him turn around as I dressed, my brain regaining its function to think and process out of my sleep haze.

We were packed and ready to go not long after, having a quick breakfast with our Pokemon before hitting the road once more. This time around, I kept Noctowl out, wanting to get in as much extra training against wild Bug-Types as possible, having decided the night before to use the Pokemon in the up and coming contest. If what the Trainer from yesterday said was true, those who entered the contest could only keep one of their Pokemon with them in order to catch a Bug-Type, having to leave their other Pokemon behind until the contest was over and the winner was called.

It didn't take us long to reach the National Park, much to Nathan's joy. He was quick in dragging me through the doors and up to the front counter, offering the man working behind it a large grin. As if use to such things, the man returned the smile easily.

"Hello, and welcome to National Park. I take it that you two are here for the Bug-Catching Contest?" He asked, already expecting Nathan's vigorous nod of confirmation. Reaching below the counter, he shuffled around for a brief second before pulling out two pieces of paper. Handing one to each of us, pens included, he took to explaining the rules as I read over the sheet of paper he had given us.

"It's very simply, really." I looked up briefly, vaguely amused at just how similar he sounded to the woman working at the Global Terminal. "You have twenty minutes to catch a Pokemon that will then be judged by a group of judges at the end of the twenty minutes. From there, they will decide the winner, who will then receive a prize which varies every contest. Today's first place prize is that of a Leaf Stone." I deflated slightly at that, but my determination to win was still there. I'd just have to go with plan B, selling it off in order to buy a stone that I could actually use.

"While competing in the contest, you can only have one Pokemon out, the rest of your team being held here for safe keeping until the end of the contest. Also, you will each be given twenty Sports Balls. You are not allowed to use any items while the contest is in place, having to have any Pokemon that you catch remain as you caught it. While you are welcomed to catch more than one Pokemon, only one will be judged, so I'd advise to choose the more powerful as well as the healthier one as you are docked points for however hurt your captured Pokemon is.

"If you wish to still compete, then please sign the form and I'll give you each a bag containing twenty Sports Balls. The contest itself will be beginning shortly."

Looking over the piece of paper once more, it basically repeating what the man had told us in a slightly different way, I signed my name at the bottom, handing it back to the man afterwards. Nathan had already signed his, having no doubt just given it a glance before signing his own name. Resisting a sigh, I moved to unclip my Pokeballs from my belt, placing them in the offered tray that was similar to those in Pokemon Centers. Keeping Noctowl with me, I slid back the tray of my Pokeballs towards the man as he pulled out a dry-erase marker. I watched as he wrote our names down on the two trays before placing them behind the counter.

With a pleasant smile, he handed both Nathan and me a small bag that no doubt held the twenty Pokeballs. A quick peek inside confirmed my guess.

After offering the man a small nod, Nathan and I headed over towards the other waiting Trainers, there being six others who were waiting for the contest to begin. Nathan and I kept to ourselves, not wanting to get involved in the seemingly silent staring match between the six others.

It didn't take long before the contest was called to a start, the six Trainers before Nathan and I wasting no time in dashing out into the park, making me blink in vague surprise. They were really serious about this contest.

It made me want to beat them all that much more.

Sharing a brief look with Nathan, we headed out into the park as well, quickly splitting up from one another like we had done outside of Goldenrod in our own little contest.

After releasing Noctowl, I did my best to avoid the other Trainers all the while keeping an eye out for a Pokemon that might win me the contest. Noctowl took to the sky, already having an idea about what was going on from what little I had been able to explain to it this morning. With only twenty minutes, we were in a rush to find a decent Bug-Type.

At about ten minutes in, Noctowl flew back to me, gave a trill, and turned back around as I followed after my Pokemon. It didn't take long to find just what my Pokemon had found, a menacing looking Pokemon with long, spiked pincers formed on the sides of it head. The species name quickly came to mind, it being a difficult Pokemon to forget once seen. For the moment, the Pinsir was content to licking at some sap on one of the park's trees. Happy that I had yet been noticed, I motioned for Noctowl to get closer.

When my Pokemon was within whispering range, I gave it its orders.

"I don't want you to get close to that Pokemon unless absolutely needed. The last thing that you want it to get caught within that Pokémon's pincers. For now, let's use Confusion than Hypnosis. If we're lucky, that's all that you'll need to do."

Noctowl gave a soft coo, nodding its head once before taking back to the air, and without wasting any more time, used Confusion on the surprised Pinsir. While the wild Pokemon was still dazed, Noctowl moved in close enough to perform a successful Hypnosis.

I never have understood why most Trainers felt like they needed to confront the wild Pokemon that they wanted to catch before battling it when the advantage of surprise worked so much better.

Pulling out a Sports Ball from the bag, I quickly enlarged it and threw it at the sleeping Pokemon. Just as it looked like it was going to click shut, it burst open much to my annoyance despite the Pinsir still asleep.

Eyeing the Pokemon, I called out to my Noctowl who was still flying above the wild Pokemon.

"Peck."

Despite the effective attack, the Pinsir remained asleep, to which I was thankful for. Pulling out and enlarging another Sports Ball, I once again threw it at the Pinsir and gave a pleased smirk of a smile when the Pokeball clicked shut. Walking over to pick it up, I minimized it before placing it upon my belt.

With a Pokemon caught, I turned and nodded to Noctowl who gave a just as pleased trill, circling around me in the air. As we made our way back to the entrance hall, I hummed lightly, I couldn't help but wonder how Nathan was fairing.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	54. Chapter Fifty Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Three_

We reached Ecruteak a little under a week later, just as I had thought would be the case. Our first stop was the Pokemon Center, like usual.

After dropping off our Pokemon, letting the Joy of the town know about Growlithe all the while, we rented two rooms for our stay within the city. I waved Nathan off to his room with the promise to wake him for dinner in a couple hours, knowing that he was no doubt tired from the fast paced walking we did to reach Ecruteak before night fall.

With Nathan gone off for a small nap, I made my way over to one of the free computers that the center had to offer Trainers. As I waited for it to turn on and load, I pull out the Leaf Stone from my backpack, not able to help a smug smile at the reminder that I had won the Bug-Catching Contest. The looks alone on the Bug-Type enthusiasts when not only had I been declared the winner, but Nathan the second place winner with his captured Venonat, had left me in a good these past few days. The Leaf Stone that I had received was enough to leave me in a good mood for days to come no doubt.

When the computer was finally ready to use, I clicked onto the internet browser, hoping to find a site or store that if not offered swapping among evolution stones, then at least a site that would buy my Leaf Stone off of me for a good enough price for me to buy another of the evolution stones at a fair price. Of my current Pokemon, four would need an item in order to evolve, three of those four needing different evolution stones. Horsea was the odd one out by needing a dragon scale of all things in order to reach its final form, while Haunter would need a trade in order to become a Gengar.

Fun stuff.

Grumbling under my breath, I glared at the screen for all I was worth as I went from site to site, my good mood slowly dwindling down. Before it completely left me, I exited out of the browser, logging off the computer. There were always other times to find what I want.

Arching my back in a stretch, I stood and made my way over the Nurse Joy to see how my Pokemon were fairing. Tapping the bell placed on the counter, the joy poked her head out from a back room that was placed behind the counter, saw me, and after offering a smile told me that she'd get my healed Pokemon for me in just a moment before her head disappeared from view once again.

A few seconds had gone by before a black and orange blur caught my eye, it speeding towards me so fast that I only had enough time to back up enough to where I was no longer leaning against the counter. Not even a second later did Growlithe jump up onto the counter, skidding slightly across the smooth surface of the counter towards me. I held up my hands to stop her from sliding right off the counter, only vaguely surprised by my Pokémon's sudden appearance.

Nurse Joy was close to follow, walking at a faster than normal pace from out of the back room and to the counter, giving Growlithe a un-amused look, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

As I worked to calm my Pokemon, running one hand along her spine where her newest scar was shown with my other hand rubbing gentle circles on her forehead and my eyes looking for any signs of a lasting injury, Nurse Joy spoke up as she passed over the tray containing the rest of my Pokemon, to which I paused in my petting only long enough to replace the six Pokeballs upon my belt.

"Your Growlithe is in perfect health." She chirped happily. "While her leg might be sore for a few more days, she is now fully capable of walking around on her own as she was able to do before her injury. Any soreness should leave within the next couple of days if not taxed too much."

I nodded my thanks to the Joy, looking up from Growlithe long enough to offer a smile of my own. With one last scratch behind the ear, I dropped my hands and backed up enough for Growlithe to jump down from the counter without problem. Nodding once more to the Joy, I turned and made my way towards the stairs to wake up Nathan. It was about time for dinner, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, I went out to do some night training. With Nathan back in bed, having eaten his fill, I grabbed my bag and made my way out of my room, down to the first floor, then out the Pokemon Center. Heading in a randomly picked direction, I headed towards the outskirts of town, Growlithe following beside me with her head held high. Despite what Nurse Joy had said, I kept an eye on my Pokemon, looking for any sign of pain. I wasn't about to let my Pokemon continue on while in pain, even if that meant earning my Pokémon's annoyance for having returned her.

Thankfully, for the time being there was no such sigh, Growlithe walking without so much of a limp like I half expected.

When I reached a place that I deemed acceptable, I moved to start letting out my current team, only to jump in surprise at a sudden noise off to my side. From beside me, Growlithe let out a snarl as she turned to face the direction where the noise came from, just as surprised as I was. The only difference between us being that while I was one to jump and look for the source of the noise, Growlithe would not hesitate to attack what ever made the noise if given the chance.

Ah, how nice it was to have Growlithe out with me again.

Glancing at Growlithe, I moved to release Noctowl from its Pokeball. With my Pokemon free, I sent it off into the direction that the noise had sounded from, telling it to look only and come back once it found out what it was. As Noctowl took flight, I waited in a tense silence with Growlithe continuing to stand in front of me, snarling and growling away at the invisible 'enemy'.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Noctowl to get back, much less tell Growlithe what it found from its place on a tree branch above us. Whatever was said between the two seemed to calm down Growlithe down only marginally, her tense stance relaxing just the slightest. Taking that as a good sigh, I nodded my thanks to Noctowl as I took slow steps into the direction that Noctowl had come from, my own curiosity getting the best of me for once. Growlithe didn't look all too pleased with me, but didn't say anything in protest, simply keeping close to me.

I left Noctowl out, the thought of having two of my Pokemon out instead of one a small comfort, not wanting to let out all of my Pokemon just yet as the more out led to the increased chance that our approach would be heard before I wanted it to be.

At my pace, it took a few minutes to come upon just what Noctowl had found, and where we did arrive, any remaining nerves that I had slowly disappeared.

It was a man that at first glance looked to be a simple hiker, his outfit and large bag at his feet looking similar to what I've seen other hikers wear. He was easily older than me, there being no doubt about it. How much older, though, I could say for sure. If I was forced to make a guess, I'd say around, if not past, twenty. For the moment he stood with his side to me, his arms crossed against his chest almost lazily as he watched his Pokemon train against one of the thicker, stronger trees in the area. While his face was nearly blank, he eyes were constantly moving, constantly calculating as his Pokemon, a Slowbro if I was not mistaken, who used Zen Headbutt again and again against the tree. I could vaguely make out a goatee, that just confirming my thought about his age.

After a particularly hard hit, it causing the sound that I had first heard, the tree that the Slowbro had been attacking splintered, a fair amount of bark falling off as a nasty looking crack appeared running from the base of the tree up a little past the Slowbro's height, a height that could easily match my own.

"That's enough for tonight. Good work, Slowbro, your getting better." The man called out, praising his Pokemon lightly as it turned to face its Trainer, slowly making it way towards him.

I couldn't help but watch with vague interest, this being the first time that I had come across another Trainer that was older than me besides the Gym Leaders. I found myself wondering what other Pokemon the man might have when said man turned to face me, his lightly narrowed eyes meeting my own surprised ones. Resisting the urge to jump, or fidget for that matter, I stepped out from behind the tree I had been using as a cover of sorts. No point in trying to hide now, after all.

His arms remained cross, though now not nearly as lazily as when I first saw him. His Slowbro tilted his head to the sigh as it looked at me, letting out a questioning call. Growlithe stood half in front of me and half at me side, her head lowered as she let out a small, warning, growl. Noctowl landed next to me for a change, my Pokemon towering over me as it responded to the Slowbro in a light trill. Whatever my Pokemon had said seemed to please the other Trainer's Pokemon as it no longer tilted it head, instead giving my Pokemon a cheery call, closing its eyes in a smile.

Without our Pokemon talking to one another, it was quiet. The man continued to eye me with narrowed eyes, though as time went on, they turned more curious than narrowed. His arms relaxed, going back to their previous lax position.

"Yes?" He asked after a few more minutes of silence.

Not much of a talker, then? Blinking, I tilted my own head much like how his Pokemon had earlier. Growlithe, seeing that her growling did little, had stopped and moved onto staring at the other Trainer and Pokemon, remaining in her position of half in front of me and half beside me. Noctowl, having gotten bored with the silence, had moved onto preening my hair once again, letting out an annoyed cluck of its beak when I tilted my head.

"Battle me?" I questioned right back, making a small smile tug at the man's lips much like how Nurse Joy had done earlier.

"Don't you know it's rude to answer a question with a question?" His tone was amused more than annoyed, and his question made me grin lightly.

"You mean just like you did?"

It was his turn to blink as he thought over what I had just said, a small grin of his own appearing.

"Yes, I suppose so." He mused before answering my first question. "Very well, let's battle and see if your Pokemon can offer mine a challenge. Who's ever all faints first the loser?"

Nodding, I watched as he nodded towards his Slowbro, the Pokemon taking slow steps in front of its Trainer. With his first Pokemon chosen, I did a run through on my current list of Pokemon, it not taking me long to pick Magnemite's Pokeball. Slowbro's were part Water-Type, right?

Releasing my own chosen Pokemon, it hovered in front of me a little ways, as emotionless as ever. I thought through all of my Pokémon's known moves and just as I had decided on one, the man called out his attack.

"Fire Blast."

My eyes widened, surprised that a Slowbro could learn such a move.

"Thunderbolt."

Despite the man having called out his attack a few seconds earlier than my own, the two different attacks were released at the same time, both attacks hitting their target. Slowbro let out a pained cry at the powerful thunder attack though remained standing, given the Pokemon looked pained as it winced. Magnemite, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The Fire Blast had pushed my Pokemon back, it letting a high-pitched cry as the large, five legged, flame burned its small body, covering it entirely in fire until my Pokemon dropped to the ground, it's once silver body blackened with its one eye closed.

Swallowing thickly, I returned my Pokemon, replacing it on my belt as I reached for another, carefully thinking through my options this time. Crossing Growlithe, Noctowl, Nidorino, and Sandslash off my list, I reached for Haunter's Pokeball. Really should evolve get around to evolving it…

Not wasting any time, I called out my orders to my crackling Pokemon.

"Confuse Ray then Sucker Punch."

The man frowned, knowing that his Slowbro would be to slow to dodge the Confuse Ray, much less the Sucker Punch after that. As such, we both watched as first the Confuse Ray hit, shortly followed by Haunter's Sucker Punch.

As the man returned his fallen Pokemon and moved to release his second one with only a few seconds thought, I did another run through my mental list on just what moves Haunter knew.

When the man let out a Jynx, I held back a wince. Another Psychic, and from the look of things, one that knew how to use Psychic moves.

"Psychic then Icy Wind."

"Ready a Payback." I commanded, though silently knew that there was a large chance that Haunter wouldn't get the chance to use it.

Psychic itself nearly knocked out Haunter all on its own, Haunter only barley being able to remain conscious. The next attack, though, finished what the first move couldn't, Haunter letting out a moan of a cry before floating to the ground, out cold (no pun intended).

Biting my lower lip, I returned my Pokemon. Thought I might regret it, I nodded at Growlithe down beside me, my Pokemon letting out a vicious snarl as it jumped a few feet in front of me, glaring down the suddenly fidgeting Pokemon.

"Flame Wheel then Fire Fang." I wasn't about to take any chances.

"Icy Wind."

Much to my chagrin, the move slowed down Growlithe's attack, the move not being nearly as powerful as it could have been. When the move did hit, the Jynx only let out a small cry, a cry that grew in volume once Growlithe moved onto performing its newest move, Fire Fang. Given, it could use some more practice, but it did enough damage. Despite the damage dealt, the Jynx remained standing, much to both Growlithe's and my annoyance.

"Psychic."

In a futile attempt of dodging the attack, Growlithe jumped back. None the less, the attack still hit, and with it taking a fair amount of my Pokémon's health. Another attack like that and it would be over for Growlithe.

Clenching my hands into fists, I called out my next order, Growlithe's Great Ball in hand.

"Fire Fang."

"Ice Punch." The man countered, eyeing my determined Pokemon with a mix between amusement and approval.

The Jynx's attack hit first, striking Growlithe head on. I was sure that Growlithe would faint then and there, my Pokemon sluggishly shaking her head back and forth as it stumbled forward. As such, it was to both mine and the man's surprise that Growlithe suddenly lunged forward, fire coating her mouth, latching onto the Jynx's midsection.

As the Jynx cried out in pain once more, collapsing onto its back from both surprise and pain, Growlithe let out one last growl before fainting. Jynx, much to my shock, slowly got back up, struggling with the task. Once I recalled Growlithe back into her Great Ball, the Jynx was once again standing, panting as it held onto its hurt midsection.

Shaking his head, the man returned his Pokemon as well, there being no way it would be able to fight properly until healed.

Letting out a shaky breath, I thought of my three remaining Pokemon, Noctowl, Nidorino, and Sandslash. The man, on the other hand, still had four, technically five as his Jynx hadn't actually fainted.

Resisting the strong urge to begin pacing, I reached for Nidorino's Pokeball with one hand, my other tapping against my thigh.

Releasing my starter, I waited for the man to choose his next Pokemon, said man looking amused for some reason that I couldn't even begin to guess at.

Without wasting any more time, he reached for a Pokeball, releasing his Pokemon. I stared at the Pokemon with a blank face, now able to understand his earlier amusement.

Figures he'd have not only the female version of Nidorino, but also the final evolution as well.

The Nidoqueen let out a roar, throwing her head back doing so. Nidorino gave a roar of his own, though not nearly as powerful as he normally would, making me pause.

"Shockwave" The man called out once his Pokemon calmed down, the Nidoqueen not heisting in performing the move, paralyzing my Pokemon much to both of our annoyances.

"Try for a Horn Attack." I responded, my fingers once again tapping on my thighs.

"Shadow Ball."

Gritting my teeth, I called out for Nidorino to try and dodge. His legs refused to move, though, making Nidorino take the attack head on. Letting out an angry/pained cry, Nidorino finally managed to move and charge the other Pokemon, even if his moves were jerky.

Without having to be told, the Nidoqueen dodged the attack. Nidorino, in his frustration, let out a Poison Sting at the other Pokemon, not that the attack did much damage wise.

"Shadow Ball."

"Dodge and Leer."

"Sludge Bomb."

I gritted my teeth, calling out for another dodge.

"Try another Horn Attack."

"Dig."

Resisting the strong to scream in frustration, I returned Nidorino, much to the man's surprise. Instead, I sent out Noctowl. As my Pokemon took to the air, Nidoqueen finally burst through the ground, not able to hit Noctowl, though, as my Pokemon was out of reach.

"Hypnosis then Confusion." I ordered through clenched teeth, Noctowl able to hit the other Pokemon with its Hypnosis before it was able to tunnel back underground. With that out of the way, Noctowl moved on to Confusion, it being the first real attack that had managed to injure the other Pokemon.

"One more Confusion then Take Down."

In preparation for Take Down, Noctowl gained a few more feet in height before releasing Confusion, moving quickly onto Take Down after hitting the sleeping Nidoqueen one last time with the Psychic move.

To my relief, the combined moves actually knocked out the Pokemon, it waking up only long enough to let out a whine like cry before fainting.

The man was quick in switching out Pokemon, replacing his downed Nidoqueen with a Magmar of all Pokemon.

"Lava Plump."

"Quick, fly higher!" I called out, my eyes wide as I watched as the move hit Noctowl, my Pokemon not quick enough in getting out of range of the attack. My Pokemon plummeted towards the ground, its wings having caught alight and badly burned. Not about to let my Pokemon crash onto the ground, I withdrew it as it fell.

Looking over his Magmar, I thought of my remaining Pokemon. Wincing, I shook my head in surrender, even though in all terms I still had Nidorino and Sandslash left to battle with while the man had over his team left, even if his Jynx wasn't in the best fighting condition. I wasn't about to put my remaining Pokemon through such impossible odds.

"I forfeit." I said, holding up my hands, still shaking my head.

The man gave me a peculiar look, as if I was something to be studied. "You still have Pokemon yet you surrender. Not many Trainer's would do such a thing."

Not able to resist a scoff, I folded my arms against my chest, much like the man before me.

"Yeah, well, I'm not like other Trainer's. I'm not about to send out my last Pokemon only to have it go up against your Magmar, where even if my Pokemon did win, only have it go up against your other two, fully healed, Pokemon." I gave a shrug. "That's not battling; that setting my Pokemon up for a massacre."

The man gave me an approving look, giving a barely noticeable nod. "Smart of you."

I gave another shrug. "More of common sense, but thanks anyway I guess." Giving him a nod of my own, I turned and made my way back to where I thought the Pokemon Center was.

I had more than enough excitement for one night.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note:** Wow. This was by far my longest chapter. Huh. Anyway, a major part of this chapter is due to **ShadowDragonArmor**. This battle itself was his idea, wanting to see Sandra go up against a Trainer with more experience than herself. He's been acting as my muse lately, so my thanks go out to him for giving me this great idea of his. There is going to be more of his ideas coming up next chapter, as well, just to let you all know beforehand. My thanks also go out to my reviewers as well as all of those who favorite and/or added this story to their story alerts. My little baby is growing up ^^


	55. Chapter Fifty Four

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Four_

I met up with Nathan for breakfast the next morning like usual, putting the loss of last night at the back of my mind for the moment. The only difference this morning was that I brought up the idea of getting our Haunter's to evolve into Gengar. Unsurprisingly, Nathan was all for the idea, the boy having meant to bring up the subject for some time now, but having never found the right time to do so.

As such, right after breakfast we made our way to the lobby, and after Nathan had switched out a Pokemon to add his Haunter to his team, we made our way to the Pokemon Center's offered trading machine installed with Trainers in mind. Right before we were about to go through the trade, we released our Haunters and explained just what we were going to be doing so they wouldn't freak out upon finding that we traded them, promising that we would be trading them back with each other after evolving.

The entire process itself didn't take all that long, the longest part being when we released the traded Haunters and watched as they both evolved into Gengars. After Nathan had enough time to gawk at the two, we returned them to their Pokeballs and traded them once again to where the now Gengars were back with their right Trainer. Nathan wasted no time in releasing his Gengar, giving a joyous laugh which his Gengar returned with a mad crackle, the Pokemon now being easily as tall as Nathan.

Letting out my own Gengar, I couldn't help but admire it, the Pokemon coming up my neck. My Gengar let out a mad crackle of its own, lifting off the ground those few inches to where we were at the same eye level. With a grin to match its own, deadlier, chill-inducing, one, I nodded before I returned it with the promise of letting it out for training soon.

"I see you evolved your Haunter."

I very nearly jumped at the sudden, strange voice from behind me. Twirling around, Growlithe already growling and snapping her mouth full of sharp teeth at the stranger, I was momentarily surprised to find the man that I had challenged and lost to last night standing a few feet away from me, eyeing Growlithe as one would that knew what to expect from her species.

"Yes…" I replied slowly, not sure what else to say to the stranger. I felt Nathan come and stand behind me, gripping hold of the hem of my shirt as he looked out from behind me. His Gengar was floating in the air, much like how my own had been, on my other side as it looked over the new comer with its seemingly endless smirk of a smile and sharp eyes.

Looking up from my Growlithe and at my little group, he gave a nod of a greeting, though it seemed a little pointless to me.

"My winnings." He stated simply, not offering an elaboration as to what he meant, giving me a curious look. At my blank look, he gave a small sigh, though not appearing all that angry for my moment of stupidity. "From last night's battle. I never got my winnings."

I blinked, my brain finally putting together what he meant with a click. Offering the man a sheepish smile, my face flushing in embarrassment for forgetting such a thing, I reached into one of my pants many pockets, pulling out my wallet. I could practically feel Nathan's curiosity, the boy no doubt wondering just what was going on. I still hadn't told him about my attempt in training last night, only for it to turn into a not so victory battle. I never would have, either, if I could have helped it, though that hope seemed unlikely to happen now.

Handing over a fair amount of money to the just as equally curious looking man, I was about to make an attempt to leave until Nathan finally spoke up.

"Hey, Sandra, just who is this guy?" He asked, tugging at the hem of my shirt as he looked between me and the man curiously.

While trying to find the best way to answer, not having the stranger's name to give to Nathan, the man standing across from me answered for himself.

"My name is Aaron. Might I ask yours?" 'Aaron' asked with a pleasant tone, still standing at a respectful distance away from Growlithe and in effect, Nathan and me.

Nathan brightened, not one to shy away from making new friends when given the chance.

"I'm Nathan!" He chirped out with a wide grin before asking another question. Throughout the exchange, I kept silent and simply watched, more than willing to let Nathan do as he wished. "How do you know Sandy, Aaron?"

I gave Nathan a half-hearted glare at the nickname, Nathan either ignoring it or simply having not seen it.

"We had a Pokemon Battle last night." Aaron answered simply, to which I was partly thankful.

Nathan turned his now wide, curious gaze to me. "If you had to give him money, does that you that you _lost_ Sandra?"

My eye twitched and the hand that Nathan wasn't next to stretched before curling. I nodded once, silently answering his question.

"Wow." He looked back at Aaron, an amazed look on his face. "You must be really strong to actually beat Sandy's Pokemon! She trains them like crazy!"

I flushed under Nathan's unintentional compliment, turning my head to the side in a vain attempt to hide my no doubt red face. I couldn't help a small smile, though.

From the corner of my, I saw Aaron give his own amused look at Nathan, sparing me a brief look. Nathan, no longer so intimidated by the once stranger, stepped out from behind me to where he was standing beside me, dropping his hand from my shirt's hem.

"I would think so. I do have seven badges."

Now _that_ caught my attention. Snapping my head back to look at him, I blinked a few times in rapid succession. I knew that he was older than me, no doubt about that, but to have seven badges? No wonder his Pokemon were so strong, compared to my own.

Nathan was just as surprised as myself, wasting no time in asking to see them, bouncing on his feet in excitement. I myself looked over as Aaron pulled out a small case to confirm that he did, in fact, have seven badges.

"Wait, if you already have seven badges, why are you here and not in Blackthorn getting your last badge?" Nathan questioned innocently, a question that I found myself wondering as well.

Any good humor that Aaron had was gone in an instant, his arms coming up to cross in front of his chest, much like how he stood last night.

"…my Pokemon need some more training before going up again Claire again." He said tightly, looking over to his side.

I bit my tongue to keep from asking what he meant by 'again'. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had obviously already tried to challenge her, only to lose. And from the look of things, badly to boot.

Nathan, thankfully, was wise enough to get the silent message that bringing up the subject again was a taboo, and as such, switched topics.

"So, why don't you travel around with Sandy and me?"

Both Aaron and I looked at Nathan as if he was crazy, even Growlithe having stopped her silent glaring to look at Nathan blankly before me, silently asking about the boy's sanity.

Nathan hurried on to explain his sudden request, to not only Aaron, but to me and Growlithe as well. All the while, his Gengar continued to float on behind us letting out a snicker here and there, it being the only one to find the situation amusing.

"W-well, you said that your Pokemon need more training, right? So why not travel with Sandy and me as we try and collect our own badges. That way, your Pokemon can get in some more training and you can act as a guide of sorts, having already gone though the region, so you'd know what to expect…" Nathan trailed off at the end, his once loud voice getting softer the longer he went on until his head was bowed, one foot drawing patterns on the Pokemon Center's tiled floor.

Above Nathan's head, Aaron and I looked each other over, my eyes slightly narrowed while his looked to be running through different scenarios. After what felt like hours, but really only half a second at best, I gave him a shrug, turning my head to the side.

I heard him give a small sigh, and out of the corner of my eye, his arms drop from their crossed position.

"Very well, then." Nathan's head shot up so fast that I was surprised that it didn't crack. "I can't promise that I'll stay for long, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to travel in a small group."

Nathan grinned as if Christmas came early while I simply nodded at our newest member, Growlithe giving a huff as she moved to stand on my other side, still glaring at Aaron.

And that was how Aaron Lockewright, age twenty-three, joined out little group.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	56. Chapter Fifty Five

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Five_

"Now if I remember correctly, Morty had a certain love for using Gastly and its evolution chain."Aaron commented from where he sat across from Nathan and me in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria, an empty plate in front of him. After having agreed to travel with us, we had all moved over to a group of chains the lobby had to offer to sit down at and 'get to know one another' as Nathan put it.

What it _really_ was the three of us sitting around one another awkwardly in a silence for close to ten minutes, no one really knowing what to say. The entire time, Growlithe laid at the side of my chosen chair, not pleased with the added human to the group. Add in the fact that she had lost to one of his Pokemon, and Growlithe was not a happy Pokemon.

It had taken Nathan blurting out that he liked Ghost-Types the most for the tense air around us to slowly leave, it being replaced by a more relaxed one. After that, things came more easily for the three of us, though we were far from being close buddies with our newest member.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch, to which point we had moved to our current position. Aaron, having already taken on Morty and won, had offered to give advice for out up and coming battle, as in what Pokemon to use, what attacks would be the best, and other little tidbits of information about the Gym Leader that was beyond useful.

Nathan, despite already owning a Gengar, was looking forward to battling against a Gym Leader who specialized in his favored Pokemon Type. With the knowledge that we would only be able to use four Pokemon, Aaron even offered in helping pick out which of out Pokemon would be best to use in the battle. Nathan had welcomed the help while I had politely declined, already having an idea as to which Pokemon I wanted to use.

Once we finished out lunch, I made a couple small changes to my team to where I had Nidorino, Noctowl, Growlithe, Raticate, Gengar, and Pinsir. I figured that I might as well see how the Pokemon would react to finding itself captured, having not yet taken it out of storage just yet.

Once my team was assembled, I waited patiently as Nathan showed Aaron what Pokemon that he had both on him and in his own Pokemon storage. In the end, Nathan had assembled a team consisting of his own Gengar, Misdreavus, Venonat, Graveler, Raticate, and Croconaw.

Much to my surprise, Aaron had offered to help Nathan evolve his Graveler into a Golem. Nathan had willingly accepted after first checking with his Graveler, much like how he had with his Gengar as a Haunter. Graveler had looked weary at first, not all that sure about Aaron, but had relented in the end when Aaron had promised that he's trade him back to Nathan once he evolved.

Just like earlier that morning when Nathan and I had exchanged Haunters, the process didn't take all that long, Nathan not even bothering to open that Pokeball that he had received from Aaron. AS soon as Graveler was a Golem, the Pokemon was returned and once again traded to where he was back with Nathan as his Trainer.

With that out of the way, we all made out way outside and to the back of the Pokemon Center which acted as a training field/battle area for Trainers.

We all let out our Pokemon, releasing them in groups. It was an interesting thing to see, really, three completely groups of Pokemon gathered in front of their respective Trainer. The few other Trainer's that were out as well getting in some of their own training stopped to simply stare at the gathered Pokemon, though I was sure that they were staring at Aaron's Pokemon more than Nathan's or my own.

This being the first time that I was able to see his Pokemon outside of our little battle, I didn't hesitate to mentally identify them. After doing so, not for the first time was I glad that I had forfeited.

Besides his Slowbro, Nidoqueen, Magmar, and Jynx, there was also a powerful looking Meganium and, worst of all, a Scizor. One Pokemon that I could have diffidently gone without seeing. The knowledge that I would have to be traveling around with it made me cringe slightly.

Still didn't like Scythers, much less their evolved form.

Nathan, much like myself, had been looking over Aaron's Pokemon with a look of awe.

Shaking my head and roll of my eyes, I blocked out Nathan's amazed comments on Aaron's team, facing my own.

Growlithe remained at her position at my side, still glaring at not only Aaron, but his Jynx as well. For that matter, Nidorino, Noctowl, and Gengar were also looking over at Aaron's Pokemon, not giving them any kind looks, Nidorino especially.

I gave a huff that came off more annoyed than anything, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. Instead, I gave my glaring Pokemon a blank look, silently thankful that Pinsir was content to simply glaring at _me_ for the moment to do anything. I really didn't need this right now.

"Come on guys, glaring won't do you any good. As it is, you all better get used to seeing them around as their Trainer, Aaron, is going to be traveling with us." They all turned to look at me as if I was insane for saying such a thing, all that is besides Growlithe, who already knew though that didn't stop her from glaring at me, Raticate because it didn't seem to understand just what was going on and why most of my other Pokemon were glaring in the first place, and Pinsir because it was already glaring at me.

Looking to the sky as if it held all the answers, I briefly closed my eyes and not for the first time wished that I was back home; hell, even school sounded better than this.

"Don't give me those looks," I started, tilting my head back down to where I was returning the heated looks with just as much vigor, "Nathan invited him to come, not me. If you all want the exact details, then ask Growlithe as I'm not in the mood." And with that, I dropped to the ground, sitting crossed legged as my most of my present Pokemon did just that. Leaning back on my hands, I once again closed my eyes, trying my best to block out the angry squabbles of my Pokemon. I opened one eye, though, when I felt a warm body press against my side. Seeing Raticate, I offered the Pokemon a small smile, reaching up with the arm that it was pressed against to rest my hand on top its head, Raticate letting out a pleased hiss like purr as I scratched behind its ear.

I always had found it amusing how Raticate was one of my, if not my most, loyal and protective Pokemon that I had. It being the second Pokemon that I ever had, the first that I had caught, I would be lying if I said that I didn't hold _some_ respect and care for it. I would also be lying if I said that Raticate didn't know such.

It took only a few minutes for my gathered Pokemon to finished talking about things I could only guess to. In that amount of time, Raticate dozed off against me and I had held two staring contests with my Pinsir, only winning one of the two. The Pokemon was no longer glaring at me, which was a plus, but clearly not about to fall under my command without some training, either.

Nathan was already working with his Pokemon, switching between challenging other Trainer's to using some of my tactics of training. Aaron was with his own Pokemon, as far away from the other Trainers as he could get without simply walking off and finding a different place to train.

Heaving a sigh, I nudged Raticate lightly, my Pokemon looking up at me lazily. Giving it a grin, I motioned for it to move so that I could get up, Raticate quick in catching my meaning and moving away from my side, stretching in preparation for the training that it knew was about to come.

As I stood, I got my Pokémon's attention back on me. I gave a small nod towards them, placing on hand on my hip and the other hanging at my side.

"Well, let's get to it, shall we? No better way to work out ones frustrations that to take them out on unsuspecting tree's and other Pokemon, eh?" I said with a grin, one that most returned, flashing sharp teeth.

Time to get to work.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Sorry if this chapter seemed boring; it's more of a filler than anything for the coming chapters. Next chapter will hold the Gym Battle against Morty, though, so that should be fun. Comments, anyone?


	57. Chapter Fifty Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Six_

For once, Nathan offered to go against the Gym Leader first amongst the two of us. Ever since Aaron had told us that Morty was known to use Gastly and its evolution chain in battle, Nathan had been looking forward to battling the Gym Leader more than usual. Given the fact that Nathan had a certain fondness for Ghost-Types, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised.

As such, on our fourth day in town, we, as in Nathan, Aaron, Growlithe, and me, made our way towards the Gym, wasting no time in asking for a battle with the Gym Leader. Much to our surprise, we found that Morty could see us right away, there being no other challengers lined up to battle him till the afternoon. Pleased, Nathan eagerly declared that he would go first, and I second with Aaron staying to the sidelines to watch.

We had to wait a few minutes for Morty to meet with us in the Gym's Battle Arena, a time in which we used by Aaron giving some last minute tips and reminders. When Morty _did_ arrive, I was vaguely amused to notice that he actually had regular colored hair, a first compared to the previous three Gym Leaders. Before we knew it, Nathan was sending out his first Pokemon, as was Morty, and the referee was calling the start of the first match.

Nathan's Croconaw and Morty's Gastly stared one another down for only a few seconds before the fighting really began.

"Water Gun!"

"Dodge and Lick!"

"Hit the tongue out of the way with another Water Gun!"

"Hypnosis!"

"Quick, close your eyes!"

Besides a frown, Morty didn't give away any emotions besides those of calm ones.

"Night Shade!"

A pained cry from Croconaw as the Pokemon was thrown back a few feet from the attack.

"Come on Croconaw, don't give in! Hit it with a Water Gun then Bite!" Nathan yelled out to his starter, his eyes wide and hands clenched around the hem of his shirt, much like how I stood in battle against Gym Leaders.

His Croconaw stood slowly, but when it did fully stand, it snapped its powerful jaws in the Gastly's direction before letting out a sudden Water Gun, catching the Gastly in the Pokémon's surprise.

"Get out of the way, Gastly!" Morty called out to his Pokemon, but despite the Ghost-Type's best efforts, Croconaw was still able to jump up high enough to chomp down on the fleeing Pokemon, bringing it back down to the ground. The Gastly let out a loud moan of pain, trying in vain to escape Croconaw's powerful jaws. Nathan's Pokemon held on though for all that it was worth, until finally the Gastly fainted, no longer able to handle the constant pain.

When the referee called the match in Nathan's favor, Croconaw let the fainted Gastly fall from its mouth to the floor, Morty recalling it without a word, sending out his second Pokemon just as silently.

None of us were all that surprised to see the Haunter, having expected it thanks to Aaron. At my side, Growlithe eyed the Pokemon not all that concerned after having been around Gengar for so long in its previous forms. One advantage of owning a Gastly and then its evolved forms, one knows just what to expect.

As soon as the referee called the second match to a start, Morty wasted no time in calling out his first order.

"Mean look then Night Shade!"

Nathan called out for his starter to dodge, though it was a useless act as the move took effect, and while Croconaw was still slightly dazed from the effects of the move, Morty's Haunter wasted no time in letting out a Night Shade that had Nathan's starter once again thrown back, collapsed. When Croconaw once again got back up, however slowly, Nathan tried calling out an attack.

"Water Gun!"

"Dodge and Lick!"

Croconaw, already being close to exhaustion as it was, was unable to form a fast enough Water Gun to hit the Haunter, much less get out of the way of Lick. When it went down for a third time, it didn't get back up again.

With the score tied, Nathan recalled his starter and let out his next Pokemon, his Misdreavus, a Pokemon that actually caught Morty's attention.

"Not many young Trainer's are able to catch a Misdreavus, much less use them in battle." He commented in an offhanded way, though none the less impressed.

Nathan shrugged, not offering any resort like Morty no doubt wanted. The Gym Leader gave Nathan an amused look before he nodded once to the referee.

"Very well, then. Maybe we can talk after the battle."

And with that, the referee called the match to a start, this time Nathan being the one to get ing the first command.

"Psywave then Confuse Ray!"

The Haunter let out a pained cry, unable to get out of the way in time, only to be hit by a Confuse Ray soon after. With Haunter now confused, Nathan wasted no time in calling out his next order to his Pokemon.

"Psybeam!"

Unsurprisingly, the attack hit the Haunter, the Pokemon dropping from the air towards the ground, the attack being too much for it after already getting hit with a Psywave.

Much to my vague amusement, the fainted Haunter was replaced by another Haunter, this one slightly larger than the previous one.

The match between the two played out much like the previous one, though this time around Nathan's Misdreavus got hit by a rather nasty Shadow Ball that almost took it out. Despite the surprisingly strong attack, Misdreavus was able to hang in there long enough to land one last Psybeam, taking out the Haunter before it fainted as well.

Finally, it came down to Morty's last Pokemon, and Nathan's third. Already knowing what Morty was going to chose before he even let the Pokemon out, neither Nathan nor I were all that surprised to see a large Gengar, a Pokemon that Nathan met with his own.

Morty actually looked pleasantly surprised, a small grin appearing on his face as the two Gengar faced off against one another.

As soon as the referee called the start of the match, neither Nathan nor Morty wasted any time in calling out attack after attack, going back and forth, back and forth. Both the Gengars were quick in responding to their given commands, dodging each other's attacks on their own, throwing everything that they had into the battle.

Night Shades clashed, Confuse Rays canceled each other out, and Curses were used. If I had ever doubted Nathan's love or passion for Ghost-Types, they were gone now at the sheer skill and determination that he put into the battle against Morty, a recognized and revered Ghost-Type expert. The battle itself didn't last long, though it felt like hours before the Curses finally sucked away the last of the two Pokémon's energy. It had gotten to the point where I wasn't sure which Gengar was which, both being the same size and height. Such a thing didn't matter, though, as both gave way at the same time, both Pokemon collapsing to the ground.

While the match was called as a tie, the overall battle was called in Nathan's favor, the boy having beaten Morty.

They both returned their downed Gengars, Morty meeting Nathan halfway with a grin, one that Nathan returned whole heartedly.

"That was some battle, kid. I haven't had so much fun in a Gym Battle a long time and for that I thank you. Not many kids your age have such a passion for battling, much less Ghost-Types. I dare say that you could even take over for me if given enough training and time." Morty said, his grin growing even larger at the end.

Nathan ducked his head to hide his red face, obviously pleased by the off handed comment. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot, coming from you." Nathan breathed out, lifting his head just high enough to give Morty a blinding smile.

Morty shook his head lightly, amusement clear to see as he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a small, purple badge. He handed it to Nathan, a curious look creeping onto his face as Nathan took the badge.

"You know, if you want and if you're going to be in town a little bit longer, I hold classes that teaches young Trainer's and aspiring Trainers about Ghost-Types. The next class it tomorrow morning, and you're more than welcomed to come if you wish." Morty offered ever so airily, as if he didn't really care one way or another what Nathan's answer was, though how he eyed the boy for his response was a dead giveaway that that was anything but the truth.

Nathan whipped his around to give both Aaron and me a pleading look, the boy excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet. I rolled my eyes good naturally, nodding my head in consent. We'd most likely be staying for a few days anyways given the time it normally took for my parents 'reward' to reach me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron nod as well, making Nathan grin like crazy as he readily accepted Morty's offer.

"That's good to hear. As it is, I'll be teaching my students Pokemon how to learn the move Shadow Ball, so be sure to bring Pokemon that can learn it." He looked over towards Aaron and me, giving us a quick look over. "You two are invited as well, of course."

I tipped my head forward as silent thanks, a small smile on my lips at the offer. No doubt Gengar would like to learn the move, and if I wasn't mistaken, Raticate, Noctowl, and Drowzee could learn the move as well.

After that was out of the way, Morty left us to wait as he went and healed his Pokemon, returning close to ten minutes later.

The battle between Morty and me was just as fast as Nathan's was, Morty starting off once again with his Gastly while I sent out Raticate, much to the Gym Leader's surprise and approval.

It wasn't every day that a challenger used a Normal-Type in a Ghost filled gym, after all. Then again, I also didn't think the same way as most other Trainers, either.

With Raticate attacking with Sucker Punch, Crunch, and Pursuit, it didn't take all that long for Morty's Gastly to faint. Despite being a Normal-Type, a type that usually couldn't touch a Ghost-Type, Raticate had more than enough Dark-Type moves to make up for it, making its would-be disability into a blessing as Gastly's Ghost-Type moves had no effect on Raticate, leaving it with only a small handful of moves, if that, that it could use that would be effective.

Raticate preened under my cooing praises, being unable to help myself. I was simply too happy to do anything else.

Morty's first Haunter was taken out just as quickly as his Gastly, though not before landing a Sucker Punch of its own.

Come Morty's second Haunter, the blasted Pokemon was able to land a Hypnosis on Raticate, my Pokemon unable to get out of the way in time, the move coming while in the process of launching a Crunch.

Instead of waiting for my Pokemon to wake up, I recalled Raticate and send in Growlithe, much to her joy.

The first thing that I did was have Growlithe use Odor Sleuth, quickly followed by Bite after Bite with the occasional Fire Fang thrown in for a good mix as some of Growlithe's attacks were dodged by the Haunter. Now that Morty's Pokemon was no longer dealing with a Normal-Type, he finally started calling out attacks of his own.

It actually took a Flame Wheel and Fire Fang for the second Haunter to be taken down, my Pokemon letting out a small mouthful of embers at her victory as I praised her just like I had Raticate, my Pokemon trotting over to me for me to run my fingers through her fur. Despite being the vain Pokemon that she was, there was no doubt to her power.

Morty shook his head in good amusement, letting out a chuckle as he gave an off handed compliment to my battle strategy so far as he released his final Pokemon.

His Gengar eyes me curiously, floating a few inched off the ground as it moved to the center of the battle field. After giving Growlithe one last scratch behind the ear, I stood from my crouched position and much like Nathan, let out my own Gengar, though as this point it looked as if Morty was expecting such a move.

Again, much like the fight between Nathan's and Morty's Gengars, mine this time around was little different, the largest difference being that I wasn't nearly was passionate as Nathan. None the less, my Gengar and I gave it our all. Despite still having Growlithe, Raticate, and Noctowl left to fight with if Gengar lost, that didn't mean that I _wanted_ my Pokemon to lose. My Pokemon obvious returned the sediment, putting as much power into its moves as possible, resulting in an all out war between the two.

Everything has an end, though, and our match was no different. It had taken a well aimed Sucker Punch by my Gengar to knock out Morty's, though not long after did my Pokemon give into the effects of a previously casted Curse. None the less, we had still won, much to my immense joy.

After receiving my fourth Gym Badge, I thanks Morty, and with another promise to come tomorrow morning for his class, the four of us made our way back to the Pokemon Center, Aaron offering his own compliments to Nathan and me, as well as Growlithe, much to my Pokémon's vague surprise, only to be met with a suspicious look. At least she wasn't glaring; it was a start.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	58. Chapter Fifty Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Seven_

I had honestly been surprised at my parent's latest 'gift'. Nathan, too, had shared my shock at receiving not an item like I had become accustomed to, but a Pokemon of all things.

My parents had told me that one of our neighbors, an elderly lady who lived on her own, had been the one to actually catch the Pokemon, a rather ill-behaved Sneasel that didn't like to listen to the old woman. Long story short, after Mrs. Chandler found out that I had left for a Pokemon journey, she had talked to my parents, wondering if they thought that I would be interested in taking care of her Sneasel for her.

My parents, being the _kind_ people that they are, assured Mrs. Chandler that I would be _more_ than willing to take in her wayward Pokemon as my own.

Yeah.

Guess I shouldn't really complain, all considering. After all, it could have been worse.

Seeing how there was no waiting needed with my latest gift, we left not long after attending Morty's offered class, the three of us taking all of our Pokemon that could learn the move Shadow Ball with us. From there, we spent one last night in the Pokemon Center to get some last minute supplies. By the time we set out, we were well prepared for the five day hike that Aaron said it would take to reach out next destination, Olivine City. Thankfully, since Aaron had taken the route to Olivine from Ecruteak and back again before, he knew the fastest way there, making the would-be week long walk into the previously mentioned five.

At times like these, I could see why Nathan had wanted the older man to join us; his intelligence alone about certain matters was amazingly useful.

As we traveled, things were quiet among us. It wasn't exactly awkward, per-say, but it wasn't one of complete comfort, either. Nathan of coursed tried multiple times in starting a conversation, and for the most part both Aaron and I made an attempt to join in on them, they just didn't last long. Growlithe still was in one of her moods, though she was getting better however slowly. She no longer snapped when Aaron got with five feet of her, which both Nathan and I counted as improvement.

We ran into little problems during our travels, there being only a few other Trainer's on the roads that Aaron led us through. The real excitement of the traveling was actually something that Aaron had brought up after I had Noctowl face off against another Trainer's Pokemon, my Pokemon quick in claiming a victory.

"Sandra, have you ever tried flying with your Noctowl? I imagine with your Pokémon's size and power, it wouldn't take more than a few tries practice to do such."

I had actually stopped at the older man's words, blinked twice in surprise, having never actually thought of doing, much less attempting, such a thing. Of course I'd seen other Trainer's fly on their Pokemon, but those Pokemon had always been larger than their Trainer and made such a feat look easy.

Don't get me wrong, Noctowl wasn't short, my Pokemon being actually taller than most Noctowls, but was only a few inches taller than me. The thought of my Pokemon being able to fly me around was honestly perplexing.

And now I wanted to try. As such, later that day, as we were preparing our latest camp, I let out Noctowl and brought up the idea with it. Despite the idea interesting me, I wasn't about to force my Pokemon to over-exert itself for my own selfish wants. I made it this far without having to be flown all over the place; I could make the last leg of my journey going about it the old fashion way of walking.

Much to my pleasant surprise, Noctowl eagerly agreed, giving into my request without me even having to try and convince it to do such. We of course started off easy, wasting no time in recruiting Nathan to see if Noctowl could even lift his weight, our reasoning being that if my Pokemon had problems carrying a boy six years younger, as well as quite a few pounds lighter, then we wouldn't even attempt in trying to get Noctowl to carry me around until my Pokemon grew some more both size and power wise.

One nice thing about Pokemon was that just like humans, they grew with age as well. Just take my Raticate when it was still a Rattata. It had barley come up to my ankles when I first caught it, yet grew quite a bit before finally evolving into its current form.

Nathan, just like Noctowl, eagerly agreed in offering his assistance, the boy now excited on seeing if his own Flying-Type, a Pidgeotto, might be able to carry him around. Aaron had given an input that while Nathan's Pidgeotto might be able to carry him now, it would take a great deal of stress off the Pokemon if Nathan first worked on getting his Pokemon to evolve first into its last form, Pidgeot as at least then his Pokemon would match him in height. Nathan took the advice very seriously, vowing then and there that the next chance he got, he would take out his Pidgeotto and work on doing just that.

I bit my tongue to keep from saying that working on evolving his Pokemon for the sole reason to simply ride around on it didn't seem exactly _right_, but who was I to say such a thing when my reasons for working my Pokemon to become strong and evolve were just as selfish? I kept my mouth shut.

With camp set up and a pile of wood gathered for the night, Noctowl made its first attempt of flying with Nathan. In case things went wrong, Aaron had both his Meganium and Scizor close by to catch Nathan if need be with the rest of our Pokemon out and about as well as extra security.

I gave a nod at Noctowl, giving my Pokemon once let rub on its head before stepping back, My Pokemon bending down for Nathan to carefully climb onto its back. Once on, Aaron went over and showed Nathan where he wanted to hold in order to reduce his chances of falling while in the air. When Nathan was secure in his grip, Noctowl stood to its full height, my Pokemon waited nearly half a minute on the ground, simply taking a few steps forwards to get use to Nathan's weight before slowly spreading out its wings, take a couple testing flaps, slowing increasing in power until my Pokemon was hovering a few inches above the ground, a concentrated look in its eyes as it ever so gradually gained inches in the air, soon turning into feet above the ground.

I gave a silly grin, unable to help myself as I watched my Pokemon start to fly around our selected camp site with Nathan on its back. It wasn't long before Noctowl was acting as if Nathan wasn't on its back, doing small dives and trilling happily, continuing to fly around for a couple minutes longer before heading my way, coming to a slow stop in front of me before landing back down on the ground, once again leaning forward for Nathan to get off its back.

Like me, Nathan had on one of the biggest grins that I had ever seen, the boy letting out a loud '_whoop!_' as he through a fist in the air, laughing happily afterwards. He gave Noctowl a big hug, thanking my Pokemon repeatedly for taking him flying, only to turn to me and ask if he could do it again 'pretty please with sugar on top'?

I gave a small laugh of my own, telling the excited boy that it'd be up to Noctowl, not me seeing how it'd be the one doing all the flying.

With that, Nathan might as well of skipped off to the side to stand next to Aaron as I reached up with a hand to rub the top of Noctowl's head. My Pokemon cooed at me, reaching over to start preening a strand of my hair.

"Hey now, none of that." I said teasingly, grinning at my pleased Pokemon. When it bent forward, much like how it did for Nathan to get on, I silently shook my head before giving a verbal response.

"I don't want to risk trying now; at least, not until you can take off with Nathan on your back in a moment. I don't want to push you too hard." Noctowl looked vaguely disappointed, but none the less stood back to its full height, offering me a soft coo as it went back to preening my hair, much to my playful complaints that I wasn't a bird.

With the excitement over for the day, I went about starting dinner as Nathan worked on feeding the mass amounts of Pokemon that didn't hunt for their own food, Aaron working on starting the fire. With our combined work, it didn't take long for our stomachs to be full, a fire to keep us warm, and for sleep to claim us, our Pokemon all remaining out for the night as none of us really felt like putting them back into their Pokeballs when for once they were somewhat getting along.

With Growlithe at the end of my sleep bag, Nidorino dozing next to my head, Noctowl above us in the trees, Flaaffy on my other side, pressed against my side with its back facing the fire, Gengar having already left to do who-knows-what, and Poliwhirl crashed out next to Nidorino, I was quite warm as well as secure. Nathan's and Aaron's positions were similar to my own, their Pokemon surrounding their Trainer's while the nocturnal Pokemon were off doing their own thing, having been told to not wonder _too_ far from camp, but otherwise, have fun.

Without even realizing it, this sort of thing had become routine for me, to e surrounded by my Pokemon at night. Not for the first time, I had to wonder if my father was actually onto something by being so determined to send me on my own Pokemon journey. If nothing else, I had become quite attached to my Pokemon, given some more than others, just as I had become attached to Nathan. It's a weird thought to think that I might have never had experienced such things as I have so far, or made the few friends that I had, if I had stuck to my 'No Pokemon' rule.

So, in a roundabout way, I guess I actually did own this to my dad. Not that he would ever know such a thing, though.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Authors Note:** Oh my, I'm so, so, so, sooooo, sorry for how long this took getting out! I can't believe that it's been over two weeks since my last posting, something that I cannot apologize enough for! All that I can say is that it's been a crazy past two weeks, one thing happening after another that made it virtually impossible to actually sit down to type. I promise, though, that as long as I can help it, this will be the last time that such a wait happens. It nothing else, I'll post a notice on my Author Page, so if I go longer than at _least_ a week of not posting, look there.

Again, sorry .-.

**Second Author's Note**: Gah, I've been trying to update this for close to a week now -.- It's at times like these that I don't much like this site. Trying to get around their 'Error 2' thing was _not_ fun. But, I did it! So ha! Take _that_, Fan Fiction!


	59. Chapter Fifty Eight

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Eight_

We reached Olivine the next day, the time spent with Nathan flying around on Noctowl every chance he got. Lucky for him, my Pokemon didn't mind much, if any. I was pretty sure that my vain and stubborn Pokemon took my previous words to heart, having told it that I wouldn't even attempt to fly with it until it could fly with Nathan with little problem, Aaron, for the most part, remained silent, only speaking up to give helpful tips here and there, as well as to let us know when we were close to Olivine.

AS such, I was honestly surprised when he spoke up once we reached the local Pokemon Center, having alrea2dy handed over our Pokemon over for healing. If there was one thing that I had learned about Aaron over the short time that I had known him, it was that he preferred to remain silent than hold an hour long conversation like Nathan was fond of doing.

"It'd be best if you two don't challenge this city's Gym Leader just yet. At least not until you both get the badge from Cinawood City." He stated in a calm tone, in a just as equally off-handed way. Both Nathan and I stopped from where we were making out way to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria to look at our third member strangely, though it was me who actually asked the question that we were both no doubt wondering.

"Why? Isn't this Gym the next one in the circuit?" I made sure to keep my own tone that of honest curiosity.

Aaron gave a single shoulder shrug before giving a verbal response as well. "It can be easily argued either both yes and no since most Trainers come here before Cinawood, but it's generally the wisest thing to challenge Chuck from Cinawood first, as he's the 'easier' of the two Gym Leaders."

I blinked, stunned as I was sure that was the most Aaron had said at any one time. Despite my surprised, I shared a questioning look with Nathan, silently telling him that I'd follow whatever he decided to do. He seemed to get hat I wasn't saying, as he nodded once at me before turning back to Aaron.

"We'll challenge Chuck first." He spoke up, making both Aaron and me nod our own heads in agreement.

With that out of the way, we didn't stay much longer in Olivine after collecting back our Pokemon, only pausing long enough for Nathan to switch in his Pidgeotto into his team. From there, Aaron made a stop at the local Poke Mart, buying a load of Antidotes, shortly explaining that the sea was full of Tentacool and Tentacruel that loved to poison Pokemon. Nathan's eyes had widened at that, while I frowned deeply. _That_ wasn't good.

With a bagful of Super Potions and Antidotes, Aaron formally introduced us to his Nidoqueen, a Pokemon which he used to swim around on when needed. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't the least bit worried about depending on a, given, large and powerful, looking Pokemon to get me across the ocean. It did, though, make me curious on whether or not my own Nidorino would be able to do such a thing once fully evolved through a Moon Stone.

To make things easier on Aaron's Nidoqueen, Nathan offered to fly above us on my Noctowl, joining us whenever Noctowl got too tired. I gave him a knowing look, but allowed it none the less with Noctowl's permission. It would be up to my Pokemon, after all, to be the one carrying Nathan.

As Nathan climbed up onto Noctowl's back, I turned to Growlithe, who up to this point remained silent. She gave me what could only be described as a death glared, before turning it onto the ocean, letting out a growl. It wasn't hard to see that she liked this about as much as I did, to which I gave her an apologizing look before returning her, much to her half protest, half thanks.

Next, I moved to release both Horsea and Poliwhirl into the water next to where Aaron's Nidoqueen was waiting, giving my Pokemon a brief run down on the situation, as well as giving them orders to keep away as many wild Tentacool and Tentacruel as possible, not wanting my ride to be attacked if at all possible.

With that matter settled, I followed Aaron's lead, carefully climbing onto his Nidoqueen's back, trying my best to _not_ start hyperventilating. _Why_ we couldn't be taking a boat instead I didn't know. Was it really so complicated?

As Nidoqueen started swimming, my arms held one of Aaron's in a death grip, my eyes firmly ahead of me as I tried to _not_ look at the side of me, much to Aaron's vague looking amusement. Above us, Nathan and Noctowl flew lazily, looking to be drifting on the air current. At this rate, Aaron said, we'd reach Cinawood in thirty minutes. I gave a jerky nod, not wanting to do much else unless I do the supposedly impossible and falling off Nidoqueen's back and into the potentially dangerous water.

It was going to be a long thirty minutes.

.-.-.-.-.-.

As soon as we hit the shore, I jumped off Aaron's Nidoqueen, not caring that my shoes, socks, and lower legs became soaked, only caring that I was back on solid ground.

Nathan soon joined me, Noctowl landing next to me as Nathan jumped off. Aaron was not long behind, having returned his Nidoqueen, an action that I was quick to follow, thanking my tired looking Noctowl for flying Nathan the entire way before returning it, as well as thanking just as tired Poliwhirl and Horsea.

Thanks to my two Water-Types, we hadn't run into nearly as many wild Pokemon as we could have, to which I was forever grateful. We had to use a few of the Super Potions and a lot more Antidotes that Aaron had bought before hand, but my two Pokemon didn't mind, both looking at it as a quick way to getting stronger, having gone against some Pokemon well over their current level and coming out on top. While a great way to train them, I wasn't about to do it again anytime soon if I could help it.

Speaking of which, I turned to give a determined look at Aaron.

"We're taking a boat back." I stated matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument. And if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't even try.

Lucky for him, he simply nodded with an amused look on his face.

Nathan, bless his pure, innocent, soul, wasn't so smart.

"Ah, but why, Sandy? I wanted to try riding on Nidoqueen!"

At my fierce glare, he clamped his mouth shut offering me a meek look.

That's what I thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	60. Chapter Fifty Nine

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Fifty Nine_

Like with any other city with a Gym, Nathan and I spend the first two days simple getting ready to face the Leader, selecting which Pokemon we would be using off of the information that Aaron had given us concerning the Gym Leader, Chuck.

Being a specialist in Fighting-Types, our best bet for winning was using Flying-Types and Psychic-Types. For me, Noctowl was the perfect choice, as well as Drowzee, a Pokemon who was ever so slowly coming around. It was at the point where it would listen to me in battles. For Nathan, his choices were a bit more difficult. He had, of course, first picked his Pidgeotto, but his second Pokemon was what had his pause. It had come between using either his Venonat or his Misdreavus. In the end, it was Misdreavus who had won out, the Ghost-Type's immunity to Fighting-Type moves, as well as knowing two useful and powerful Psychic moves.

With our Pokemon chosen, Aaron chimed in and offered to teach my Drowzee and Nathan's Misdreavus a move that might help in our up-and-coming fight. It was the move called Dream Eater, a move that was used when a Pokemon was asleep that not only inflicted damage, but also healed the Pokemon using the move. Both Nathan and I readily agreed, thanking the older man repeatedly for the action.

It had taken both Pokemon only a few tries before they got the move down, Aaron having used a TM that was not only rare, but expensive. Since they could be used over and over again, Aaron didn't mind much using it to teach our Pokemon.

With the new move taught, I spent the rest of the two days training with Drowzee, hoping to get the Pokemon to evolve for the battle. I let Noctowl do as it pleased for the most part, having it train against the offered Water-Type Pokemon, something that my Pokemon didn't mind doing in the least. Growlithe, for the most part, stayed in our room, well away from the water. The rest of my Pokemon, Nidorino, Poliwhirl, and Horsea, were given similar freedom as Noctowl, Aaron having found a nice sized pond for Horsea to swim in, yet go against other wild Pokemon if it so pleased.

Aaron spent the days training his own Pokemon, taking breaks every now and then to help either Nathan or me in our own training. It was actually with his help that Drowzee finally evolved into a Hypno, my Pokemon having gone up against Aaron's Scizor. While having lost, it had put up one hell of a fight, the end result being a tired and beaten Drowzee glowing a blinding white. Once my eyes had cleared, a Hypno had stood in Drowzee's place, much to my joy and the now Hypno's surprise.

Afterwards, my Psychic Pokemon had been more ready to listen to me, not nearly as grouchy or ill-behaved. It even stopped glaring at me so much, though there were still looks that spoke of its dislike for me. Just not nearly as many.

It was progress.

Come the end of the second day of training on the island, Aaron showed us to the Gym, in which Nathan and I signed up for Gym Battles the next day a little before noon, Nathan going after me. With that out of the way, Aaron told us about the island's Safari Zone, a place where Trainer's are offered the chance to catch Pokemon from other regions, or rare Pokemon that could be found here.

Nathan, naturally, wanted to go out and see it after we won the Gym Badge from Chuck. Not one to deny the boy something that he wanted, I promised to go along, Aaron once again being the one to offer to show us the way and the best way to catch a wild Pokemon there seeing how we weren't allowed to have Pokemon Battles within the zone.

If nothing else, it promised to be an interesting day.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Night quickly approached, soon followed by the break of dawn. I woke by Growlithe kicking me in her sleep, one of the Pokémon's hind legs nailing me in the stomach from where she laid stretched out next to my side.

Biting back a groan, I rolled over onto my back, sending a silent, half-hearted glare at the still sleeping Growlithe. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep once awake, I got up and started getting ready for the day, grumbling to myself about the unfairness of it all.

Within the hour I was clean, dressed, and ready to go, Growlithe having finally woken up at some point while I was in the bathroom. When she saw me, she stretched, gave a yawn, and jumped off from the bed. I rolled my eyes at my Pokemon, but remained silent. Seeing how I told her last night that I planned to challenge the Gym Leader today, I wasn't all that surprised that she was willing to leave the comfort and safety of the room to come and watch the battle.

Shaking my head both mentally and literally to clear it, I opened the bedroom door, allowing Growlithe out before me, closing and locking the door behind me.

The pair of us made our way downstairs, passed the lobby, offered the Nurse Joy a lazy wave, and outside of the Pokemon Center. Once outside, I led Growlithe behind the building and proceeded to release the rest of my Pokemon, letting them out to give them breakfast. Those that preferred to hunt their own food, those being consisted of Noctowl and Growlithe, left to hunt, while I gave the rest of my assembled Pokemon, Nidorino, Poliwhirl, Horsea, and Hypno an even mix between pre-packaged Pokemon food and berries.

While my Pokemon ate their fill, I sat, leaning against the back of the Center's building as I pulled out a berry of my own to eat. For the most part, the morning was calm and peaceful, the only sound being that of my Pokemon eating and the distant sound of other Pokemon waking and preparing to go about their day.

It didn't take long for us all to finish our breakfasts, Noctowl and Growlithe coming back shortly after the rest of us finished. Seeing how I was going to be going up against a Gym Leader today, I allowed all my Pokemon to simply relax, getting up only long enough to place Horsea into the small, man-made pond behind the Pokemon Center, allowing Horsea more movement options than just staying in one place on dry land.

As my Pokemon all spread out to find places comfortable to doze in, I moved back to my place against the back wall of the Center, taking refuge in the shade that the building offered. Poliwhirl joined Horsea in the pond, lazily swimming laps. Noctowl perched on one of the few tree's larger branches, dozing lightly. Hypno laid on its side a little ways away from me, one hand keeping its head supported. Nidorino actually came over and joined me, sitting next to me after giving me a glance.

I shook my head, but none the less reached over with one hand and, avoiding my Pokémon's poisoned spikes running the length of his back, patted his side.

And my parents worry that I don't bond with my Pokemon.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan was the one who woke me from my morning nap, having not even noticed that I had fallen asleep in the first place until Nathan was shaking my shoulder. By this point, the sun had risen a bit more in the sky, it not quite being high enough for it to be noon just yet, which was good. Would do no good to miss my Gym Battle just because I accidently fell asleep.

Blinking at Nathan sleepily, I lightly swatted his hand away, yawning.

"I'm up, I'm up." I mumbled stretching my arms into the air, wincing as my back popped. Not my smartest idea, falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position.

Nathan stuck his tongue out at me, but stepped back none the less, letting me stand properly. Much to my amusement, my Pokemon were in much the same positions as they were when I had fallen sleep. The only real difference was that Hypno was now fully lying on its back, one arm covering its eyes from the sun.

Shaking my head with a small smile tugging at my lips, I nudged Nidorino's side, my Pokemon letting out a snort before slowly coming too, letting out a yawn of its own. He slowly turned his head to look up at me, its look virtually saying '_What do you want now?_'.

"Time to get up. Have a battle to get to." I said blandly, to which my Pokemon gave a grunt, standing slowly as he stretched in the process. With my started awake, I made my way around the area, waking up my Pokemon who had dozed off, while those already awake gathered around. With all of them awake, I returned them one by one, leaving out Growlithe like usual.

Turning back to face Nathan, I nodded to him, the boy giving a wide grin and he bounced on the balls of his feet, clearly excited about the up and coming battle. Wondering where Aaron was, I voiced my question as Nathan dragged me off to the Gym. Nathan answered in a hurried tone that Aaron was already at the Gym, waiting for us there.

I nodded, and picked up the pace to where Nathan no longer had to drag me by the wrist, Growlithe easily keeping pace at my side. With our pace, it didn't take long to reach the Gym, Nathan running ahead of me the last few feet.

Shaking my head with a smile, I entered, Growlithe trailing in behind me. Signing in for my battle, lucky to have made it by only a few minutes, I found Aaron standing next to Nathan, the two already ready to go in and see Chuck.

Here goes nothing, I guess.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Okay, so falling down a set of stair _hurts_ -.- Lucky for both me, as well as you all, nothing is broken, just really, _really_, bruised and sore. As such, I've been confined to bed rest for a bit, so having nothing else to do, I typed this out, as well as started a new Pokemon story. Ah, the joys of pain meds.


	61. Chapter Sixty

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty_

Chuck was _not_ what I was expecting to find as a Gym Leader. Well, to be fair, compared to the other Gym Leaders that I've come across so far, I shouldn't be all that surprised. At least he had regular colored hair; he was just… emotional.

Yeah, that was a good way to sum him up.

Chuck was very emotional when it concerned his Pokemon. His choice of outfit didn't help matters either. A man his age and size shouldn't be allowed to wear nothing but a pair of training pants.

It caused unpleasant mental images.

I shook my head both mentally and literally in a vain attempt to clear my head, trying desperately to get those _vile_ images from my mind. Focusing on the Gym Leader's first Pokemon choice, a Primeape, I sent out my Hypno, hoping to save Noctowl and absolutely needed, as well as giving Hypno a chance to prove itself in a real Gym Battle.

Chuck didn't seem all that surprised by my choice of Pokemon, instead yelling out it'd take more than a Psychic to beat his Pokemon.

I had to resist the urge to sigh, instead waiting for the referee to call a start to the match. When he did, I didn't hesitate in yelling out the first move.

"Hypnosis!"

"Bah! Quick, turn away!"

Not in the least but annoyed that the move missed, I moved on to the next one.

"Psybeam and Meditate!"

"Dodge!"

The Primeape was hit, despite its attempt at dodging. With the short break, Primeape slowly getting back up, Hypno stilled, its eyes closed as it took in a relaxing breath, releasing it as it snapped back open its eyes, more focused on its target.

"Quick, Primeape! Use Rock Slide then Double Team!"

I gave a 'tsk', changing my tactics those of defense.

"Use Confusion as defense and the Disable!"

Luckily, Hypno was able to stop a decent amount of the rocks from hitting it, my Pokemon using its Psychic powers to either redirect the rocks elsewhere or simply stopping them. For the rocks that Hypno wasn't able to stop or redirect in time, though, hit it. It could have been worse though, and that's all that matters.

While the Primeape was readying a Double Team, Hypno made quick work of Disable, making the Primeape temporarily forget the move Rock Slide. I breathed out a small sigh of relief at that before focusing back on the battle. It wasn't over yet.

"Poison Gas."

"Get out of there, Primeape!"

At the command, all of the Primeapes moved back, running in a large circle around Hypno. I frowned, trying to think of the next best course of action. I had to move quickly, too, before the Disable wore off.

"Psybeam."

The joys of the move Psybeam was that when shot, it was fired in a straight line, and continued to go on for a set time. As such, when Hypno fired its Psybeam, instead of hitting only one of the Primeapes, it actually hit quite a few before the move stopped, the running images having been unable to stop running in time to not get hit by the Psybeam. That move alone cut down the remaining possibilities to half, the Primeapes now looking weary of my Pokemon, as the Gym Leader let out a boastful laugh.

"Well done! Smart move, but you haven't beaten me yet!" He exclaimed before calling out his next move. "Focus Punch!"

Having been expecting this move, Aaron having warned both Nathan and me about it before hand, I knew that the easiest way around the move was to hit the Pokemon using it to break their focus, and as such, make it impossible for them to use the move.

"Quick, keep using Psybeam until you hit the real one!" I called out to my surprised Pokemon, my hands clenched on the edges of my shirt.

The problem when facing Focus Punch was that it was incredible powerful if hit. There was a great chance that if Hypno was hit, it could very well faint from that one hit alone.

Hypno wasted no time in letting loose another Psybeam, hitting only images. I feared that we were too late when one of the Primeapes that was hit let out a cry, the remaining fake images fading away as the real Pokemon was hit.

Despite having been hit twice, though, the Primeape was still standing, however shakily. No doubt one last hit and the Pokemon would be done for.

"Double Te—"

I didn't let Chuck finish calling out his order, calling out one of my own.

"Confusion."

Thankfully Hypno reacted in an instant, only just managing to beat Primeape to the punch.

As the Pokemon was thrown back by the Psychic force, the Primeape stayed down this time.

As Chuck returned his fallen Pokemon, he didn't seem mad in the least for having lost the first round.

"We haven't lost yet!" He called out, grinning like a fool as he sent in his second and last Pokemon.

I was honestly surprised to see that his second Pokemon was that of a Poliwrath. I actually spend a few second looking over the Pokemon that my Poliwhirl would eventually become once I got a hold of a Water Stone. While not that much different from its previous form of Poliwhirl, Poliwrath was bigger, no doubt about that. Its arms were also longer, its eyes no longer sticking out the top of its head. The Pokemon looked all around more powerful, something that I was sure that Poliwhirl would be happy about.

I had to mentally shake my head to come back to the present, looking over my slightly panting Pokemon. Using its more powerful Psychic moves one right after another was taking its toll on my Hypno, so my best bet at winning was to hurry and finish up the battle as quickly as possible.

Chuck, though, was just as serious as I was this time around. As soon as the referee called a start to the second match, Chuck beat me to calling out the first command.

"Surf!"

My eyes widened and I was pretty sure my mouth dropped open just a little at the attack. Hypno barely got a chance to brace itself before a large wave of water was upon it, crashing down on my Pokemon with vicious force. Amazingly enough, the water didn't reach me, going only so far as to push my Hypno back to where it was laying in front of me, but never actually got me myself wet.

My Pokemon wasn't so lucky, having barely enough energy to stand after such a powerful attack, combined with it's already exhaust from its previous battle.

"Now _that's_ a strong move, don't you think, girl?" The Gym Leader yelled out, a wide grin on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest, his Pokemon hitting its powerful looking fist-for-hands together in an, giving, intimidating way.

I had to bite back a snarky comment, choosing to instead simply keep my mouth shut as I returned my weakened Pokemon, giving it a solemn nod with it returned.

Without pause, I replaced Hypno's Pokeball with that of Noctowl's, releasing my large Flying-Type calmly.

Just like with Hypno, Chuck seemed little surprised with my choice of Pokemon, and I was going to make sure that that would be his downfall.

"Hypnosis."

"Didn't work before, not going to work now! Look away, Poliwrath!"

I couldn't help but give a small smirk.

"Confusion into Air Slash."

With Poliwrath having it's back turned towards Noctowl in order to avoid looking into the Hypnosis, it left itself wide open to Noctowl's next two attack's, despite Chuck's warnings of moving out of the way.

Silly Gym Leader, I wasn't your every day challenger.

The Poliwrath took the Air Slash full on, not able to recover fast enough after the Confusion. I was mildly surprised to see the Pokemon slowly get back up, though. I was sure that with those two attacks hitting so close to one another, the Pokemon would be out. Well, no matter. At his rate, it wouldn't take my Pokemon much longer to finish the battle in our favor.

"No…not…yet!" The Gym Leader dramatically cried out, pumping a fist first into the air before pointing at his winded and injured Poliwhirl, just as dramatically.

"Surf!"

"Confusion."

The two attacks were launched at the same time, a large body of water appearing with enough height to reach Noctowl from where it flew in the air, showing just how skilled the Poliwrath was at using the move, just as Noctowl set loose a blast of Psychic energy towards the tired Poliwrath. Despite all odd, the attacks hit each other Pokemon at nearly the same time; Noctowl's only just hitting the Poliwrath first.

Noctowl, much like Hypno before it, was taken down to the ground, pushed under the large mass of water until my Pokemon finally hit the ground. The Poliwrath was, in turn, thrown back, the Pokemon letting out a brief groan before fainting, my Noctowl slowly getting back up.

As the referee called the battle in my favor, I let out a small, slow, breath of relief. Noctowl stayed where it was, there being no point in it taking back to the sky. I returned it after giving it a nod of thanks, much like with Hypno before it.

"Well, how about that! All right. You're worthy of the Storm Badge!" Chuck, unsurprisingly, cried out once again, reaching into his shaggy looking pants pocket to pull out a small, bronze, looking Badge. I met the bipolar Gym Leader in the middle of the battle field, taking the badge with a small, forced, smile and thanks.

Without any hesitation, I made my way over to the awed looking Nathan and approving looking Aaron. I greeted the two with another nod, this time with a smile that was less forced.

"Fun stuff, that. Good luck, Nathan. I know you can beat this guy, easy." I said with a grin, reaching over with a hand to ruffle the younger boy's hair, much to his half annoyance, half pride.

"Just you wait, Sandy!" I twitched slight at the nickname, though in all rights I deserved it, giving the hair ruffles. "I'll have that Badge in no time!" He declared proudly, puffing out his chest in such an adorable way that I wanted to hug him and coo over him like one does a doll.

I love having a little brother of my own, even if he wasn't one by blood, as I did just that, much to the younger boy's yelled protests, his face flaming red in embarrassment.

What? I was allowed to give into my more feminine thought time to time, just as much as the next girl.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	62. Chapter Sixty One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty One_

Nathan's match against Chuck was much like my own; the only real difference being that the Gym Leader had switched out his Primeape for a Machoke. Given, Nathan's match had taken longer than mine, but the outcome was the same. We both had left the Gym with a new badge, being that one step closer to obtaining all eight.

With what had become habit, the three of us made our way towards the Pokemon Center, Nathan cheerfully leading the way, Growlithe trailing behind us. There was a skip in Nathan's step, the boy grinning like mad at his victory.

Like usual, once we made it to the Center, Nathan and I dropped off the two Pokemon that we had used to be healed, after which I had called my parents to tell them of my latest win. Nathan also called up his parents, telling them about his own victory, as well as how he was, having told his parents about Aaron, something that I was reluctant in telling my own parents about.

In the end, I had simply mentioned Aaron in passing, not yet wanting to tell my parents that I was traveling with an older man, despite there being no attraction involved. With my dad, it wouldn't matter that all I felt for the older man was slowly growing respect and thankfulness. The fact that I was traveling with him would be enough to set my dad off.

If Aaron noticed my lack of mentioning him to my patents, he didn't say anything.

As Aaron and I had promised Nathan earlier, we all got ready to head over to the Pokemon Safari Zone. Just as we were about to leave, though, my Pokegear let out a shrill sounding ring. I had actually jumped at the sudden noise, not expecting it in the least.

I patted down my pants, trying to remember which pocket that I put it in. When I finally found it, I was quick in opening the yelling device, just wanting to make the noise _stop_. As a result of my haste, having not checked the caller I.D., I was just as equally surprised to hear my sister's voice on the other end.

"…pick up, pick up, pick up, pick u—"

"Stephanie?" I asked in an amused tone, still partly surprised. This was the first time that she had ever made use of the number that I had given her.

"Finally! I thought you'd never answer!" She huffed out, as if it was a great sin to have not answered right away.

Sparing a glance over at the ever curious Nathan and seemingly curious looking Aaron, I offered them a smile, shaking my head lightly as I waved them off. If my sister was calling for the reason that I think she was, I didn't want Nathan around to spoil the surprises. Nathan looked a little hesitant to leave without me, but thankfully Aaron stepped in and distracted him, telling the younger boy stories about what to expect at the Safari Zone. I gave Aaron a thankful look before turning and making my way towards the back of the Center's lobby, well away from the front door.

"—llo? Sandra, you there, are should I just hang up now?" Stephanie's now annoyed tone came through my end of the line, having pressed the Pokegear against my chest as I walked.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm here. Now what can I do for you, sister of mine?"

There was a short laugh, one that was mixed between that of amusement and pleased. "Oh no, sister _dear_," she drawled out, "it what I can do for _you_."

"Oh? I take it that you found the Pokemon that I wanted?" I made my own tone that of carelessness, absent-mindedly buffing the ends of my fingers against my shirt to complete the tone.

"Of course I did. What do you take me for, some first year Trainer? Oh wait, that'd be you. Sorry." She practically purred out, much like her favorite Pokemon, Persian, who also happened to have been her starter as well. Damn feline.

"That hurt. Really. It did." I drawled right back, not even bothering to resist in rolling my eyes. "Seriously, though. Did you find one?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got you one." A 'tsk'. "Remind me why again you want a Duskull of all the Pokemon out there?"

"And again, it's not meant for me, but a friend for his birthday."

"Riiight. Whatever you say, 'sis." There was a brief pause, the nearly silent sound of clicking keys of a keyboard making it through onto my end. "What's the closest Pokemon Center near you? I'll be sending the little devil of a Pokemon there."

"I'm at the Cinawood Pokemon Center right now, so I'm all ready for you."

"Hmm." Another brief pause; one that was filled by more clicking of keys, and then the sound of a machine starting up before falling silent soon after. "Alright, I sent it off. I sent it to your storage system, having already transferred ownership."

True to her word, having already been making my way over towards the P.C. created with Trainer's in mind, I signed on to my account which held all of my Pokemon to find that there was, in fact, a new addition added into my storage box. The miniature pixel was easy to make out to be that of a Duskull, its stats popping up as I scrolled the mouse over it.

"Looks good on my end. Thanks for this, Steph."

A laugh, this one all too pleased for my liking. "Any time, Sandy. Just remember that you own me for it. It was a _pain_ tracking down this Pokemon for you. Hope whoever your giving it to likes it."

"No worries about that." I said absent-mindedly as I signed off my account after changing the Duskull to another of my twelve available storage boxes. It was more of a precaution, so on the off chance that Nathan happened to glance over my shoulder while I was on it, he wouldn't see the Pokemon that I planned on giving to him in a week's time.

"Hmm. Talk to you later. Good luck on your little journey. Don't get eaten by a wild Pokemon and all that." Stephanie said in the same tone as my own.

"Ah. You too. Would hate to see such a _skilled,_ experienced, Trainer such as yourself be off-ed by a little thing like a Pokemon attack." I gave a small chuckle. "Now wouldn't _that_ be ironic."

A grunt from her end, a final good-bye on mine, then the sound of a 'click', the line going dead.

Got to love family.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: So, Spring break is next week. Just as a forewarning, I'll be gone for most, it not all week, so don't be too surprised if there aren't any updates. Yeah.


	63. Chapter Sixty Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Two_

I wasted no time in meeting back up with Nathan and Aaron, having left Growlithe back in our room. Out of all of us, there was no doubt that Growlithe was the most excited about leaving the island as soon as possible. After all, it's no secret that she didn't like being around large amounts of water.

Half walking, half jogging, I caught back up with Nathan and Aaron in no time. Nathan looked like he was holding back on asking questions, to which I was thankful for. It wouldn't do for him to become curious about his future birthday present, and I'd hate to lie to him about such a matter.

Aaron greeted me with a nod, taking the lead of our little group silently, the older man being the only one out of the three of us to know where the Safari Zone actually _was_ without having to ask or look for directions from another.

I was honestly surprised at just how far we had to go in order to get to the Safari Zone. I expected it to be closer to Cinawood, if not within the city itself. I'm actually pretty sure that my hate for hills and stairs grew from the hike needed to get to the zone, it being one giant set of stairs or hill after another, until we finally reached the highest peak of the seemingly small island. My legs and lungs were burning, my breath coming in pants and gasps. I had to force myself to not follow in Nathan's action, collapsing onto the ground with a groan. Even Aaron, one who had made this trek before, looked out of breath, however slightly. It was at times like these that I honestly envied the older man, if only for his built up endurance.

Sure, I've had to climb steep hills, or hike up part way of a small mountain with my family to get to a certain camp site that was dangerous to get to by car, but never have I had to walk one steep hill after steep hill. That was my extent of exercise, though, for the most part. I've always been more content to staying at home, or at a friend's house, not really one to take a walk around my small town on the off chance that I'd run into a Pokemon, be it wild or 'tamed'.

As it was, while my endurance was slowly building because of the constant walking required while out on a Pokemon journey, it was no where good enough to where I could make such a trek like we just did, and end like Aaron, standing and breathing with only feeling slightly winded.

Hunched over, my hands on my knees as I breathed in deeply through my nose, I silently vowed to work on my endurance more along with my Pokemon. I felt horribly out of shape.

We, well really Nathan and I, spend another couple minutes resting, regaining our breath and waiting for our legs to step burning. Aaron waited for us patiently, being kind enough to give us a water bottle each from his bag, to which both Nathan and I was immensely grateful for. When we finally we able to walk again, Nathan led us around to first visit the different stalls that were camped out in front of the Safari Zone, quickly going from one stand to another while Aaron and I trailed behind him, allowing the youngest out of the three of us to do as he pleased.

When Nathan saw everything that there was to be seen, we made our way towards the actual reason why we were up here in the first place; the Safari Zone.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't hard to see why there was so much talk about this place, being able to see it with my own eyes. With well over forty acres offered, all of which somehow fitting in the given area, and the many different types of habitats built for the multiple Pokemon species, the Safari Zone was by far one of the more amazing places that I've have the chance to see so far. Even with my dislike for Pokemon other than my own, I had to admit to that I was impressed.

As I wondered through the man-made Meadow, I couldn't help but wonder how Nathan was fairing. Aaron, having had no real interest in going though the Safari Zone again had instead, opted out and remained in the main building, moving up to the second level where he would be able to over look the zone itself.

I passed through the Meadow quickly, none of the Pokemon residing in the habitat really interesting me enough to attempt in catching one. Already I had been through the Plains and Forest, now working my way through the Tall Grass. While I wasn't holding my breath in the hopes of finding a Pokemon that would catch my eye, it would be nice to actually use one of the given Safari Balls. I'd rather not have paid the money that I did to simply wonder, after all.

Oh well; the Desert and Wasteland sounded interesting if nothing else. Might as well make this trip worth it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Nathan moved carefully through the Marshland, trying his best in not slipping in the unusual terrain, much less alert any wild Pokemon in the area to his presence. Already his shoes and socks, as well as his pants up to his knees, were soaking wet with the muddy water.

Not that the younger boy minded; not in the least. If anything, he was having a blast. It wasn't every day that he got to go 'exploring' for Pokemon in such conditions. He was sure that the only other regions to actually have natural marshes were Honen and Sinnoh if he remembered correctly.

After sweeping through the Marshlands, Nathan had every intent on going and finding the Swamp and Wetland. Maybe even stop by the Mountain and see if he could actually find a Larvitar, like Aaron had said he had found on one of his past visits to the Safari Zone.

All in all, Nathan was hoping that the day would never end. He didn't think that he would be able to convince Sandy to come back up to the Safari Zone again anytime soon. Well, maybe if she could fly up on her Noctowl…

Grinning at what he thought to be a genius plan as it began to take shape within his mind, the soon-to-be eleven year old continued on with a bounce in his step, almost slipped as a result, and continued with his previous slow and careful walk with a wide-eyed look. Right, no jumping while in the Marshland; check.

.-.-.-.-.-.

From his place within the building on the second floor, looking out the large observatory, Aaron gave a thoughtful hum lightly under his breath, trying to locate the two that he had taken to traveling with. It was by far not the easiest tasks to accomplish given the sheer size of the Safari Zone, but he was making an effort none the less. He thought for sure that he had managed to spot Nathan, though it could have just as easily have been another of the young Trainer's that had gone in as well.

He had to admit, even if only to himself, that he actually found himself enjoying the company on his travels. He had of course had previous groups that he had traveled with, but they never seemed to last long to him. The reasons varied from group to group, but Aaron could actually see himself sticking around with Sandra and Nathan, even if they were years younger than him.

Secretly, he found it refreshing to be able to travel with the two without having to worry about Sandra deciding that wanted to hit on him; that had always been one of the major reasons that he had left previous groups that had a female present. As far as Aaron was concerned, while one was out on a Pokemon journey, there was no time for romance, even if it was fleeting like most was between those his age and younger. More than once had he comes across a couple while traveling that cared more about themselves than their Pokemon that they were supposedly raising.

Aaron might have started his journey late due to certain circumstances, but that never diminished his love for Pokemon, or his determination of collecting all eight Gym Badges. Maybe even take on the Elite Four, see how his Pokemon faired against the best of the best.

So no, romance of any kind was a major no to him for the moment. Maybe when everything was all said and done with, he'd try to go and meet a nice girl that liked Pokemon as much as he did. Until then, though, he had other matters to focus on.

The sight of a large Fearow rising into the air caught his eye, only to have it dive back down towards the ground in what looked to be an Aerial Ace.

Now that he thought about it…

"Maybe I should have told them that some of the wild Pokemon might attack." Aaron muttered to himself, a light frown on his face as he tried to zero in on the area that the Fearow had disappeared back into.

Oh well; those two were strong. They could handle a Fearow. Right?

"On second thought…" Aaron pushed away from the railing that he had been leaning against, spinning on his heels to make his way back down towards the first floor. Better safe than sorry, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the long wait. As it stand, Spring Break is over, so I'm back to writing. Fun stuff, spring Break. Might I recommend going and visiting Fort Bragg in California if given the chance? It's an amazing place.


	64. Chapter Sixty Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Three_

Sprint in the opposite direction, jump over a jutting tree's root, swerve around said tree, and try not to scream at the madly screeching Fearow that was chasing after us with vengeance in mind.

"What it the _hell_ did you _do_ to it?" I yelled out to the girl running alongside me, it being her fault that we got into this situation in the first place.

Another jump, this time over a bewildered looking Rattata that didn't move out of my way. I actually did let out a scream of my own when the Fearow closed in for another attack, only just missing me with its sharp beak thanks to the tree I quite literly jumped behind to avoid the attack. I was pretty sure that I skinned up my arms and hands from the action, but I'd rather have to deal with some splinters and scratched skin than a hole in my body.

"I don't know! All I did was catch one of the other wild Fearow's!" The girl shrieked back, having taken refuge as well beside a tree.

I gave the girl a baffled look, wondering if she could actually be that stupid.

"And if never occurred to you that the Fearow's might know one another?" I had to scream to be heard over the Fearow's own shrieks of anger, the large Pokemon still trying to get to us. The only thing keeping the Pokemon away was that it was simply too big to fit through the small cluster of trees the girl and I had hidden behind. No doubt if the Pokemon had been in its right mind, not a rage induced one; it would have done the smart thing and simply walked past the trees, not try and fly through them. At least the anger was good for something.

I had only just entered the Mountain habitat, not even there for half a minute, before this girl, looking about my age, had come sprinting towards me, yelling her head off about a 'wild Fearow on a rampage'. It hadn't taken me long in taking at the girl as she past me, coming out of my shock at the sight of said 'rampaging Fearow', the large Flying-Type letting out a screech as it fly right towards me.

If it wasn't for the Safari's rule on having no tamed Pokemon out, I'd have already sent out two or three of mine; I was about to let them out anyways, though, if this continued on much longer, rules be damned. Like I was about to come this far, only to have it all ended because some idiot girl pissed off a Fearow. I was a Pokemon Trainer, damn it, no matter how much I didn't want to be for _reasons like these_.

At that last though, I felt like hitting my head against the tree I was hiding behind. I was a _Pokemon Trainer_.

Grumbling under my breath, I reached for the bag tied on my belt around my waist, loosening it up enough to where I could reach in and grab a handful of the miniature Safari Balls. If I got out of this alive (and I hopefully would), I'd tell my parents 'I told you so'.

"Hey, girl who got us into this!" I called out, ever watchful of the Fearow and how it was steadily getting closer to us, its rage fueling its attacks.

"What did you call me?"

Ignoring her outraged cry, I made a show of enlarging one of the Safari Balls and aiming it at the unsuspecting Fearow. Without another hesitation, I threw it at the surprised Pokemon. As soon as the Ball hit it and drew it into the Pokeball, I turned towards the girl and yelled out for her to start running. As she did, I wasn't too far behind.

Unsurprisingly, the Fearow broke out of the Safari Ball, taking off after us within seconds. As I prepared a second Pokeball to throw, I saw out of the corner of my eye the girl doing the same. Sadly, one thing we didn't count for was that trying to throw a Pokeball at a Flying-Type while running wasn't the easiest thing to do. Needless to say, the girls thrown Safari Ball was avoided by the Fearow, the Pokemon now even more angered if that was even possible.

Great; just _great_.

Seeing a single tree coming up ahead of me, I made my way towards it, darting behind it as I prepared to throw my second Safari Ball as the Fearow flew past. My aim was true, the Safari Ball hitting the Pokemon on its back. I didn't even bother to wait to see if I actually caught it this time around, more concerned with getting that much closer to the exit of the Zone.

This time around the girl didn't wait and stay behind with me, instead having kept running forward. Figures.

When I heard the renewed screeches of the Fearow, I cursed my low endurance in running for not the first time. If I didn't get a real break from all my running, I really was going to collapse, my legs and lungs already burning.

For what felt like forever, I continued to run, stopping only long enough to throw another Safari Ball at the Fearow, some hitting, a majority of them missing, and quite a few curses aimed at the Pokemon when I missed. I had already passed through the Meadow, Wasteland, and halfway through the Savannah. My legs were on fire, and I could barley breath, but I didn't take to stop, there being no cluster of trees to hind within, and I was running low on Safari Balls. More than once had the Fearow's own attacks come close to hitting me; a little too close for comfort. If things kept going like this much long, I held no doubt that I would be hit.

Just as I was about to say 'screw it all' and let out my own Pokemon, a second screech joined in with the Fearow's. I swear I felt my heart stop at the sound, the thought '_I'm dead, so dead_' running through my mind. The only thing keeping me from breaking down right then and there was the sound of my name being called out.

Wearily coming to a stop, I turned to where I knew the Fearow was, only to see it fighting with an all too familiar looking Scizor. Looking to where I heard my name called from, I saw Aaron running towards me, another two men behind him that from the look of their outfits, worked for the Safari Zone.

Breathing in heavily, I fell to my knees, my legs no longer able to support me. Aaron, when he reached me, crouched down next to me, saying something or another, but I couldn't understand anything he said. All I could hear was the sound of my head pounding, my arms shaking. I didn't know what happened to the two workers that had come along with Aaron, and at that moment, I didn't care much either. For the first time since I was a little girl, I passed out.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	65. Chapter Sixty Four

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Four_

Nathan couldn't help but fidget, his fingers playing with the lining of his shirt as he sat beside Sandy's bed in the hospital, an I.V stuck in her arm. The doctor had said that all she really suffered from was very mild exhaustion, and in no time she'd be fine. Sore, but fine.

No matter how much he wanted to believe the nice doctor, Sandy didn't _look_ fine. She was to white for his liking, to still, to _dead_ looking. Nathan knew that his mind's imagination was getting the best of him, it always did in such situations, but even with that knowledge, the thoughts kept coming, the next worst then the last.

He couldn't help but think that while _he_ had been having a blast, _Sandy_ had been running for her life from a wild and mad Fearow. Guilt gnawed at his insides, not letting him forget that it had been _his_ idea in the first place to go and visit the Safari Zone, it had been _him_ that had her go out into the actual Zone as he didn't want to go in alone, only to spit up once they got in.

Just as the different 'What if's' started going though his mind, the door to Sandy's room opened, bring Nathan's attention away from Sandy and to the appearance of Aaron, the older male juggling two cans of juice, two bags of chips, and two neatly wrapped sandwiches. Trailing after him was Growlithe, the Pokemon unusually silent as she jumped up to lie at the foot of Sandy's bed, looking at the sleeping girl with half lidded eyes. The sight made Nathan's guilt rise all the more.

"Now that's enough of that." Aaron spoke, jerking Nathan out of his self-depression by waving the can of juice in front of his face, the older boy's drink and food set down on his chair. "There's no point in moping around. What good would it do her? Besides, the doctor said that she's fine, so don't worry. She can even leave once she wakes up."

Nathan nodded, not really able to bring himself to respond verbally. The younger boy accepted thee offered drink and food, setting them beside him without another glace their way.

Aaron let out a soft sigh, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think about what he was to do now. What _could _he do? Sandra passed out due to exhaustion, Nathan refusing to believe that it wasn't his fault no matter what he or the doctor said otherwise. At this point, everything rested on Sandra waking up to snap Nathan out of his funk, something that could take a couple more hours.

With that though in mind, Aaron took his seat on the other side of Sandra as Nathan, setting his own can of juice and food on his lap. He was no long in the mood to eat.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Warmth. Pain. Two very different feelings and I had the great honor of waking to them both. My body was warm, wrapped in what I imagined were blankets, minus my left arm which was strangely cold, but my legs felt numb until I tried to move them. Then, the feeling as if they were being stabbed by hundred of needles all at once, from my lower stomach down, irrupted. It was by far one of my more unpleasant memories to date.

Both mentally and physically flitching at the unexpected pain, I vaguely heard movement on my side, as well as felt movement near my feet. As if the pain was what I needed to jog my memory, I remembered the Safari Zone, running into that the Fearow, running from said Fearow for what felt like hours, and finally being able to collapse, only to blank out. I gave a moan of both pain and frustration. That was so the last time I would ever be going into a Safari Zone.

"Sandy? Are you awake? Are you in any pain? Do you need me to get the doctor?"

I was pretty sure that it was Nathan's voice talking, but I didn't exactly want to open my eyes to find out just yet. Dear Gods, I _hurt_. What in the world happened to me?

"Calm down, Nathan. Let her breath." That'd have to be Aaron. No one else that I can remember sounded so soothing and cool at the same time. "There, now, Sandra, just breathe. The pain will pass. You did quite a number on yourself, running for so long like that."

I could just _hear_ the vague amusement in his voice as he spoke, the older man no doubt finding some amount of humor in my situation. Despite his tone, I followed his advice and simply breathed for the time being. Nathan continued to shift at my side; again there was movement at the end of my bed, one that came from one of my Pokemon. Growlithe, most likely, given the size needed to fit on the bed with me.

When the pain became nothing more than an annoyance at the back of my mind, I was careful to not move my lower body again as I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a blindingly amount of white, a ceiling light off to my side lighting the room. Blinking, truing to focus my eyes, I turned my head to where I thought Nathan would be. The instant his eyes met mine, the biggest grin I've ever seen came on his face as he leaned over the side of my provided hospital bed, his eyes wide. His grin dropped somewhat, but it was still there, only a little more worried than anything else.

"You're okay, right?" He whispered, as if afraid to speak any louder.

"Ah." I said with a slow nod. Besides my legs and sides hurting when I moved them too suddenly, I was fine to the best of my knowledge.

Nathan's smile was back, though not as big. "Good." Then, much to my amusement and happiness, the younger boy reached out to hug me, being careful not to hug too hard. Despite knowing that I no doubt worried the boy, it was funny seeing an almost eleven year old try to hug someone in a hospital bed with the side bars in the way. In the end, he hugged my neck more than anything, though I wasn't about to complain.

A huff caught my attention, making me look away from Nathan and towards the foot of my bed, only to find my Growlithe sitting there, looking at me with her piercing eyes. Not feeling in the least bit intimidated, I offered my own grin at the Pokemon, tipping my head in her direction as I watched her settle back down into a more comfortable position.

Opposite Nathan was the usually silent Aaron, the older boy standing at my side with a small encouraging smile aimed at me. Silent as he may be, I was thankful for his presence nonetheless. If not for him, after all, who knows what might have happened with that Fearow. I could be suffering a lot worse than I was. Before I could properly thank him, though, the door to my room opened, the action drawing all of our attention towards it.

In walked a stranger to me, but from the looks of things, not to Nathan, Aaron, or even Growlithe. I assumed that he would be my doctor.

He offered me a gentle smile, one that suggested he was use to working with those my age or younger. "Good to see you awake. Feeling any pain? Discomfort?" He asked as he walked around me be, looking over machines and my I.V drip. Whatever he saw pleased him as he nodded and turned his attention back to me.

Though I was never one to complain to those doing their job, or make their job any harder on them, I wasn't about to lie about not feeling any pain. Besides, it would be pretty obvious if I said otherwise.

"A little. My legs, mostly."

"Thought so. Nothing to worry about, though. With how much you stressed your legs, be prepared to feel some discomfort for a couple days. We'll be giving you some pain pills, enough to last for a week, as well as some cream for you to apply to lessen the aches." As he spoke, he grabbed a clipboard that had been hanging off the end of my bed, pulling out a pen from his chest pocket and writing down _something_. "We already called your parents and explain the situation."

At my look of horror and dismay, he gave a light laugh.

"No need to worry. I assured them that there was no need for them to catch the next flight out, though they _do_ want you to call them as soon as possible." He gave me a pointed look, to which I nodded quickly, thankful that I wouldn't have to deal with worried parents in person. If nothing else, when my parents were worried about either my sister or I, they truly became something to be reckoned with.

I still remember the last time I majorly hurt myself. I had been thirteen, and was helping my mom in the kitchen by chopping up some potatoes for dinner that night when my hand had slipped. Instead of cutting the potato, I had instead nicked the joint between my thumb and first finger. It hurt, to be sure, but nothing life threatening. My mom didn't see it that way, though, and had wrapped my bleeding hand with a towel before driving me to the closest hospital, having called my father on the way down to let him know what had happened. Three stitches later, I wasn't allowed to touch a knife for nearly a month, and even then, I had my mom breathing down my neck the entire time.

Calling them was not going to be fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	66. Chapter Sixty Five

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Five_

I was released an hour later, much to my relief. While I had been a little, well, rather shaky on my legs at first, once I got the chance to actually move around and stretch them, it was easier to move around. It was slow going, of course, but it was better the having to use crutches.

Nathan, having gotten the thought in his mind that it was his fault that I had been hospitalized for some reason, had offered to be my errand boy for however long it took for me to be able to walk around without my legs burning. At Aaron's pointed look, I had accepted on the condition that by doing such, he would stop blaming himself for what had happened to me. He hadn't been happy about it, but agreed nonetheless.

When it came to my parents, it had taken an entire half an hour to convince them that I was, in fact, okay and that they had no reason to catch the next flight down here. Even in times like these, I had to admit that I found such situations amusing to no end. One second, my parents are doing everything in their power to get me to go on a Pokemon journey, but the instant I get hurt while on said journey, they freak out, want to come see me, and take care of their 'precious child'.

Irony is such a funny thing.

AS things stood, for the next day I spent camped out in the Pokemon Center, giving Nathan tasks to do off the top of my head to keep him both entertained as well as let him feel like he was helping me. Even though within hours my legs felt better, leaving behind only the occasional ache, I stayed seated in either my room, or in the main lobby when I got especially bored.

Come the day after the whole 'event', as Aaron and I took to calling it, I was back up and moving, only slower when it came to walking then before.

Seeing how we still had a couple days before my parents latest gift for me arrived, I took the opportunity given to me and trained all that much more with my Pokemon, including myself in with their training as well.

For the moment, my team consisted of my regular three, Nidorino, Noctowl, and Growlithe, as well as Poliwhirl, Horsea, and Magnemite. I figured what better time to work with those three then on an island. Poliwhirl and Horsea would get to train in the ocean, while Magnemite would be able to go up against some of the stronger Water-Types. The best part was that this way, I also had a reasonable excuse for actually getting in the ocean as well, though I could have just as easily stayed on dry land.

I had Noctowl fight from the air above the water, something that my Pokemon wasn't opposed to doing. As for Nidorino and Growlithe, my two Pokemon who wanted little to nothing to do with the water, I allowed them to train against one another, close enough to where I could see them. Not about to fight with the arrangement, the two had first listened to my instructions for their training, and then had chosen a nice spot away from other humans to fight one another in a mock battle.

When Nathan had tried to fight against me about my choice of training, mainly the part that had me out in the ocean, I had countered with the fact that it was easier for me to move around in the water, as well as the fact that I was going to have two Water-Types with me _and_ Noctowl and Magnemite flying above us. While he hadn't been too pleased, he had relented, there not being much else he could have done to stop me.

And so the days passed. The three of us humans trained with our Pokemon, either on our own, or with each other, or on a few occasions on mine and Aaron's part, with other Trainer's.

Despite doing almost nothing but train with breaks thrown in between, I was pretty sure that my Pokemon actually enjoyed themselves once they got into the grove of things. Poliwhirl and Horsea had a blast, having virtually free reign of the ocean. At least, as much free reign as I could see. Horsea had even gotten the chance of meeting with a small group of other Horsea's led by two Seadra's. While they small group hadn't stuck around for long, it had put my own Horsea in a much better mood for the next few days, my Horsea training longer and harder after having the chance on meeting with one of its evolved forms, a Seadra.

Aaron said that if my Horsea continued to train like it was much longer, it wouldn't take much more for it to evolve into a Seadra itself.

Much like Horsea, Poliwhirl also enjoyed the change of scenery for training, just like the rest of my Pokemon. There being no real other place for Poliwhirl to meet to many other Water-Type Pokemon, both tamed and wild, my Pokemon had a grand time making friends with those we ran into.

Everything has an end, though, and ours came with the arrival of my parents present four days into our wait.

.-.-.-.-.-.

We were on our way back to the Pokemon Center when a shadow passed by over head. I didn't even have time to look up before a Delibird was landing in front of the Pokemon Center, the Pokemon wasting no time in walking through the doors.

"Hey, Sandy, you don't think that that might be your package from your parents, would it? I mean, it is about the time that it would be here, wouldn't it?" Nathan said, giving the Delibird a curious look as the four of us followed the Pokemon into the Center.

"It very well could be." I mused out loud, find the possibility likely. "Only one way to find out, right?"

My question was met by silence as by that point we were already inside the building, making our way to the front desk where the Delibird was handing over a neatly wrapped package to Nurse Joy. Once she had hold of it, the delivery Pokemon gave a cheery salute and made its way out of the Center.

As Nurse Joy was giving the departing Pokemon a wave of thanks, she caught sight of the four of us, her smile becoming even wider.

"Sandra! Great timing! A package for you was just delivered!" She chirped happily, handing out the package to me as she spoke.

I thanked her with a smile as I took the package from her, Nathan at my side to look over the neatly wrapped box.

"What do you think it is?"

I gave a shrug, thanked Nurse Joy one last time, and made my way over to one of the free couches, there being a few other Trainers' milling about the lobby. Sitting, I waited for Nathan to sit next to me, Growlithe to settle next to my legs, and for Aaron to stand on my other side. With everyone in their preferred place, I finally went about to unwrap the package.

It didn't take long to get rid of the brown wrapping paper, leaving only the plain white box left that was a slightly larger than the palm of my hand.

Beside me, Nathan let out a groan.

"Sandy, you're taking too long! Hurry up and open it!"

I gave him an amused look, but complied nonetheless, quickly tearing off the tape and lifting open the box's lid.

I blinked, honestly shocked at the item—a stone that looked more like a rock than anything—sat within the box, cushioned by padding.

"Is that… a Moon Stone?" Aaron questioned above me, though it sounded as if he already knew the answer to his question.

"Wow, Sandy, your parents got you a _Moon Stone_. These are crazy expensive!"Nathan exclaimed, as if I didn't already know that fact.

"Well," Aaron started, leaning in closer to get a better look at the polished stone. "Your parents use to be Trainer's, right? They could have just as easily of come across it during their travels. I myself have a couple Evolution Stones tucked away, not having needed to actually buy them since in some places, their easy to find."

Both Nathan and I looked at Aaron with widened eyes, our focus taken away from the Moon Stone in my hands to stare at the older boy in surprise.

"You can actually _find_ Evolution Stone? Where?" I asked in a slightly disbelieved tone.

Aaron finally looked away from my stone, standing back to his full height as he gave Nathan and me a just as surprised look.

"Of course you can find Evolution Stones. Given, you have to usually have either a Pokémon's or machine's help and dig for them, but it's done. Many Trainers' that I've met have done it, not willing to spend so much money on a single stone that'd lose its power after one use."

There was a silent pause, Nathan and I having to register what had just been told to use while Aaron gave the two of us a curious look.

The silence was broken by my letting out a groan of frustration and self-pity. I let my head fall back, hitting the back of the couch. After all that time looking for a good deal on Evolution Stones, or looking for sites that would let me trade my Leaf Stone for another stone that I could actually use, I find out that it's the norm for Trainers' to simply go out and get the stones themselves.

Nathan, knowing what I was feeling since I had complained to him a few times the prices of Evolution Stones, patted my shoulder in sympathy.

.-.-.-.-.-.

After getting over my depressed state, I was more than ready to go out and use my new Moon Stone on Nidorino. That is, until Aaron had made a side comment about whether that was so smart or not.

According to him, most Pokemon that were under evolution through stones never learned all of the moves that they would have if they remained as they were. Nidorino was one such Pokemon, as well as Growlithe and Poliwhirl. While they could learn the moves through other means, such as TM's and HM's, over even through move tutors, it would simply cost money for something that they could have just as easily learned by sticking to their current form.

Needless to say, I had reluctantly stored away the Moon Stone in my bag to be used another day.

Nathan had cheered me up on the thought that at least I _had_ the stone, so when the time came where I or Nidorino wanted to use it, I could.

I had also managed to get Aaron into agreeing on taking Nathan and I around to some sites that were known for producing different Evolution Stones if given the chance. I still had to find a Fire Stone and Water Stone, after all, and I wasn't about to cough out money that I could be using for other things.

Then I had to think about getting a hold of both a Dragon Scale of all things, and a Razor Claw, if I wanted my Horsea and Sneasel to evolve to their final forms. How I was suppose to get a hold of such items were beyond me, though I might have an idea for the Dragon Scale if worse came to worse…

Add in Nathan's birthday getting closer and closer, I was mildly stressed out. I wanted to gage the Duskull's personality that my sister, Stephanie, had gotten for me before giving the Pokemon to Nathan. I didn't want to give the younger boy a Pokemon that would do nothing but harm to Nathan or those around him. My plan was to sneak away for a couple of nights with a team of Pokemon that would do well against the Pokemon if things were to turn out bad, and hopefully do a little training with it before Nathan's birthday.

That gave me little over a week to do such.

Much to my Growlithe's happiness, we made plains on leaving the island to head back to the mainland the next day after receiving my parent's gift. We should in all aspects be back in Olivine City come noon tomorrow, which would be nice. While being able to spend time on the beach, it felt weird being in one place for so long after traveling like I have been. Amazing what a few months on the road does to you.

The next morning, we all woke up bright and early. Grabbing a quick bite to eat, we made our way to the harbor, where we caught the ferry that would take us off Cinawood and back to Olive. It felt good to be moving forward.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	67. Chapter Sixty Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Six_

The ferry was nice. Small, but nice nonetheless. There weren't many other Trainers on board, so that added to the pleasant trip. Since we were only going to be on the boat for two hours, we were stuck wondering the ferry, there being no point in getting rooms of our own.

Growlithe, being the stubborn Pokemon that she is, refused once again to go back inside her Pokeball, even though she was far from pleased for being surrounded by a large body of water on all sides. She stuck close to my side, practically glued to my legs, taking to growling and snapping more that she usually would at those around us.

Nathan, unlike Growlithe, was enjoying his time on the ferry. The younger boy loved leaning against the railing of the ferry, it being nothing more than three iron bars, one above another, so it allowed easy access for him to step on the lowest iron bar to look down at the water as it passed by. The action made me paranoid that he'd end up falling for one reason or another, so most of my time was spent standing next to the excited boy, ready to reach out and grab him if need be.

I did not want to be the one in charge of calling his parents to tell them that their only son had fallen over board of a ferry.

Aaron, more than use to riding on boats of all sizes, calmly wondered the ship, leaving Nathan, Growlithe, and I to do our own thing. The older man checked in on us every now and then, but for the most part he was off doing who knows what.

"Hey, Sandy, look over there! There's a Pokemon Battle!" Nathan exclaimed, pointing towards the front of the ferry where there was a small open space, a space that I was pretty sure was _not_ meant to be used to hold a Pokemon Battle on.

Just how _stupid_ are some Trainers? It they caused the boat to go down, I'm so going to sick some of my more vicious Pokemon on them once saved.

The Trainers in question were two boys, not surprising, their Pokemon being an Dodrio if my memory served correctly, and an Persian. From the looks of things the two were already well into their battle by the time Nathan and I got there, there being a small crowd of people gathered around in a pathetic attempt of a circle to watch the battle.

Nathan both our way to the front of the circle, such a task not that hard as there was more than enough room. I crossed my arms over my chest, my feelings mixed between amused by Nathan's excitement and annoyance at the Trainers for actually holding a Pokemon battle on the small ferry. Growlithe settled down next to me, Nathan being on my other side, the younger boy completely enraptured by the match.

Well, at least he was enjoying himself.

Shaking my head, I started paying more attention to the match as well. Might as well watch it since I was here.

The Persian looked to be on the losing side, its movements slowed, the Pokemon having to pant to bring enough air into its lungs. The Dodrio, in comparison, looked only lightly winded, the three-headed Pokemon still standing strong and tall, only a few scratches littering its body compared to the Persian who was covered in wounds. How things stood, the battle wouldn't be lasting much longer.

Despite being on the losing end, the Persian did its best to strike back at the Dodrio, not ready to give up and admit defeat just yet. It used a Faint Attack at the command of its Trainer, and while the move hit, it looked to do little damage to the Flying-Type besides making one of its heads screech out in anger, another in pain.

The Trainer of the Dodrio called out for his Pokemon to finish off the match with one last Tri Attack, an attack that was one of, if not the most well known attack of the Dodrio species.

With what strength the Persian had left, it jumped to the right of the attack, letting it sail past it.

There was only one major problem with this; since they were battling on such a small ferry, there being a crowd of people around them in a lose circle in order to watch said battle, when an attack like Tri Attack misses its target, it has to end somewhere.

Time seemed to slow. Seeing the spinning triangle coming towards me, the thought that entered my mind was that I must have _really_ pissed off someone in a past life or something for this to keep happening to me. I'm way too young to keep dealing with this shit.

Of all the time that my body could betray me, it had to be now. No matter how much I willed it to move, seeing the attack coming closer by the second, my body refused to move. Vaguely, as if I was within a dream state, I heard screams around me, people yelling, but all I could do was stare.

I felt something ram into my side, jerking my body towards the ground, the feeling of another body landing on top of me registering in the back of my mind. A flash of orange and black caught my eye next, drawing them up to watch as my Growlithe jumped into the way of the oncoming attack, taking the Tri Attack head on.

Time sped back up, the attack connect with Growlithe, sending my Pokemon flying back, right over the railing of the boat, my Pokemon letting out a howl of a cry. Another scream, this time it being ripped out of my own throat. At last my body began functioning again. I wasted no time in fighting with the body still on me, recognizing said body to actually be Nathan with only half a mind as my main focus was on my over board Pokemon.

Given our differences in height, weight, and strength, it didn't take much to get away from the frantic boy, his words going unprocessed as I ran to the railing that Growlithe had just been blasted off of. Without thought, I removed my bag from my shoulders, letting it drop to the floor with a loud '_thunk_'. Nathan, being able to guess at this point what I was planning, tried tugging onto my arm, again saying something that I wasn't able to process.

Didn't he understand what had just happened? My Pokemon had just taken an attack aimed at us, one that could have easily seriously injured me if it had hit, even if Nathan had virtually tackled me to the ground. I wasn't about to simply _leave_ my Pokemon, a _Fire-Type_, to fend for herself in _the sea_ of all places. I would do that to my Pokemon, damn it!

With a half guilty, half determined push, I shoved Nathan away from me long enough to climb over the three metal bars and without a look back, jump into the water below.

At the time, the thought of calling out my Noctowl, Poliwhirl, or Horsea never occurred to me. Not even the thought of attempting to return Growlithe to her Pokeball. All I could think about was saving Growlithe, not the logistics of it. The calm and cool head that I was always so pride about while in Pokemon battles, or during training, was lost. In place of it being one of panic, fear, and determination.

I hit the water feet first, the cold temperature shocking my body momentarily. I spared only a second for the shock of the water to wear off before kicking my legs into motion, heading to where I thought up was. When I broke the surface, I began my search for Growlithe without hesitation, turning my body in a full circle, looking for the slightest bit of orange or black.

The current, thankfully calm for the moment, moved me side to side in what would have been a relaxing motion if not for the situation. As it stood, it only served to annoy me as it made swimming all that more difficult than I would have liked it.

My panic reached new heights at this point, my mind whispering that Growlithe had already been in the water for too long. She might be underwater, hurt from the Tri Attack, Paralyzed, Frozen, maybe. She could already be sinking to the bottom of the ocean, her body nothing more than food for the wild Pokemon.

I started screaming her name, searching for anything that would give away where she was. There was no way that she could already be gone. She was too strong for that. She was my _fighter_, my _survivor_. She shouldn't even _be_ in the water.

"Growlithe! Growlithe! Answer me, you mangy Pokemon! _Growlithe!_" My throat hurt, but I ignored it, pushing my pain aside. I began swimming again, twisting my body, my head, always searching.

A weak, watered down cough of a bark caught my attention, my body and head whipping around to my side where the noise came from. I started swimming towards it, my eyes looking over the moving water, hoping, praying, that any minute I would see my Pokemon.

"Growlithe, come on, don't give up on me yet! I'm coming! I'm coming for you, girl! Growlithe!"

I swear I was ready to cry when I saw Growlithe's head break the surface of the ocean, my Pokemon looking to be in pain and gasping for breath, but _alive_. My swimming pace doubled, lessons long forgotten on how to swim the Butterfree stroke came back in bits, though enough to make a difference.

Growlithe went back under; this time I went right after her, grabbing my Pokemon around her middle, bringing her back up to the surface. I was momentarily scared when she didn't move, but her coughing was enough to reassure me that she was still alive. Now all I had to do was _breathe_ and _think_.

With my Pokemon back in my possession, me struggling to keep us both above surface, I removed one hand from around my Pokemon to grab a Pokeball off my belt, my panic slinking away enough for me to remember that I had two Water-Types with me.

I went under, but I didn't mind nearly as much as long as Growlithe was still above me, my fingers finally clasping onto Poliwhirl's Pokeball. Quickly opening the Pokeball, I replaced the Pokeball back on my belt, now reaching for Horsea's Pokeball. My lungs began to burn, but just like my throat, I pushed my discomfort to the back of my mind. I needed to do this, to keep both Growlithe and I alive. Just like with Poliwhirl, who took over holding up Growlithe for me at some point from when I released him to now, I released Horsea, finally making it back up to the surface.

Horsea appeared in front of me, her Pokeball still clutched within my hand as I fought to stay afloat. She looked bewildered, but quickly took in the situation, letting out a squeak of surprise as she vainly tried to help me keep above the surface. Between the cold water and all that it took to swim as much as I did to reach Growlithe, my strength was quickly failing me. I had enough strength left, though, to replace Horsea's Pokeball with Growlithe's, finally doing the smart thing by returning my just as struggling Pokemon, offering it a tired but victory smile just before she returned to the safety of her Great Ball.

Without Growlithe there to hold up, Poliwhirl moved to helping Horsea keep me up, offering his back for me to clutch onto for the time being, Growlithe's Great Ball clutched in a death grip in my hand.

Thanking my Pokemon with a slurred voice, I started looking for the ferry. Surely they would come back for me…

I wasn't to be disappointed. Even though the ferry was a small one, it still took some time to make a U-turn, but the small ship was already almost to me. At the front of the ship were Nathan and Aaron, along with quite a few others that I couldn't place, but seeing them release Water-Type after Water-Type was nice, there being nearly an army of them heading towards me.

This was the last time that I'd ever ride a ship with other Trainer's ever again. Next time, I'll just ride over with Aaron's Pokemon.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: So, this very well be my last update for a bit. Come next week, I'll be going up to my Aunt's and Uncle's house in the mountains for the first month of summer, and they don't exactly get internet, which is why I tried not to leave this chapter at a cliff-hanger. I'll try my best to update while I'm up there, but I won't promise anything, and if I do, they will be whenever I get the chance, so maybe a bit random.

As for you all, I hope you enjoy your summer vacation! I know I will!


	68. Chapter Sixty Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Seven_

I was in the hospital again, this time being treated for a case of slight hypothermia. While understanding that hospitals were good and all for helping the sick and injured, I was becoming just as sick for being in them so much recently. Given, compared to my Growlithe, I was in far better condition, so I couldn't really be complaining about my trip, even if the doctor assigned to me was a stuck up snob who had a stick shoved up his—

"Sandy!" The cry was the only warning that I had before I was tackled from the side into an awkward hug, the bed that I was resting on making it hard for such an act. Not surprisingly, it was Nathan who had been the one to rush into the room I was being held in, wasting no time in grabbing onto me with a death grip, blabbering on about how he was glad I was going to be okay, how worried he had been, and that Growlithe was going to be okay as well.

That last bit really caught my attention. Aaron, who had come in after Nathan, was patiently standing off to the side as he cut into Nathan's stinging of words to tell me how they had just come for the Pokemon Center, having been the one's to drop off my Pokemon for me since I had been confined to the hospital as soon as the ferry had docked. While Growlithe would have to spend a couple of nights in the Pokemon Center to regain her normal body heat, water never mixing well with fire, my Pokemon would otherwise be fine. For that, I was thankful.

It was at this point that my jerk of a doctor returned, giving a whole new meaning to doctor's bad bedside manners, informing me that I would be free to go tomorrow morning, and how maybe next time I would be smart and _not_ jump into the middle of the ocean. Both Nathan and I scowled at the doctor, Nathan still clutching onto my side in a hug, while Aaron gave the doctor a flat look, not amused. At our looks, the doctor looked to deflate, though only for a second before sticking his nose back in the air as he turned to leave, rudely informing Nathan and Aaron that visiting hours would be ending in another hour, so they'd better be gone before then.

"Stupid doctor, thinking he's better than us," I grumbled out, scooting over in my given hospital bed for Nathan to join me instead of awkward reaching over the bed in his hugging. Nathan wasted no time in scrambling up to where he was sitting on the small bed next to me, his arms now securely wrapped around my own arm, his legs curled up against his chest. I noticed the slight shaking of his hands, but kept my mouth shut.

"At least you'll be able to leave come tomorrow." Aaron calmly pointed out, having claimed the sole seat next to my bed as his own. He was leaning back against it with his arms crossed against his chest, looking for all the world to be relaxed and composed. I both envied him for that, and was thankful for him for it.

"True enough."

A pause, no one really knowing what else to say. Before any of us knew it, the hour was up and Nathan and Aaron had to leave. Nathan gave one last hug before leaving, Aaron nodding his head at me.

How I wished I could have left with them.

.-.-.-.-.-.

As promised, I was released from the hospital the very next morning, much to my relief. Signing my release papers, I silently vowed that this would be the last time that I would have to be rushed to one. From now on, I'd be avoiding hospitals unless absolutely needed.

Without further delay, I made my way over to the Pokemon Center as quickly as my body would allow, pleased with myself for having remembered from the short time we had last spend in Olivine. Since I had been discharged so early, both Nathan and Aaron were still there, not having expected me to be released until closer to noon.

Giving ones snooty doctor a hard time really does wonders. Don't want to be in a hospital longer then needed? Just make snarky comments to the doctor and make their job hard for them. They discharge you in an instant.

About the only good part about my whole hospital stay, well, besides being treated for slight hypothermia, was the fact that my parents _weren't _called up for a change. At my pleading, Aaron had acted as my older brother, despite the fact that we look nothing alike. I don't know whether to be glad that our crazy and obviously lie worked, or disappointed that the many doctors and nurses bought it without so much as batting an eyelash.

It kinda says something about them when they were willing to believe such a thing so easily. None of which good. I really shouldn't be complaining, though, since it was in my favor.

Stepping into the Pokemon Center, I was greeted with an empty lobby, the Nurse Joy of the town having her back turned to the counter. Deciding to talk to her so see how Growlithe was doing before getting in some much needed training with Duskull, I called out to the Joy as I made my way over.

"Hello?"

Nurse Joy jumped slightly at my voice, spinning around to face me. Upon seeing me, she raised a hand to her chest, letting out a breath. I gave her a guilty smile.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Having caught her breath, she waved off my apology.

"It's fine. I should have been paying attention. How may I help you?"

"Well," I paused, not sure how to exactly word what I wanted to say. Shaking my head, I just went for being blunt. "You have a Growlithe in your care, having been brought in by two guys, one young, and the other older. They brought her in for me since I was otherwise… occupied."

Nurse Joy's face lit up in understanding. "Ah, so you must be Sandra." I nodded. "Well, I'm glad that you're doing better. As for your Growlithe, she's doing fine." Here, her small smile grew. "In fact, she'll be ready to leave in another day or so."

I smiled back. "That's good to hear. May I see her?"

"Of course! If you'll just follow me…?" She asked as she stepped out from behind the counter, leading me towards the back of the Pokemon Center where they kept the Pokemon who needed special attention. Thankfully, it didn't take long to reach the room where my Pokemon was being held, Nurse Joy opening the door for me, letting out a blast of hot air. As I walked in, she shut the door the door behind me with a soft farewell.

Turning towards the center of the room, I finally saw Growlithe. She was laying on a comfortable looking bed, curled up with a blanket wrapped her. In the corner of the room was a small heater, which would explain who the room was so hot despite the chilled morning. Not wanting to wake her if she was still sleeping, I made slow, quite steps towards her. When I was within reaching distance, I reached out with a hand and very carefully, gently, laid it on her head, rubbing behind her left ear. No longer did I care about waking her, I had to make sure with my own hands that she was still alive and well.

My Pokemon continued sleeping, thankfully, only shifting slightly at my touch. I smiled, glad to be able to see my Pokémon's improving health with my own eyes. What nerves that I had left disappeared, a sense of calm taking its place. Good. Everything was how it should be.

Giving one last scratch between her eyes, I smoothed out the blanket, tucking it more securely around her. Heading for the door, I silently promised Growlithe that I'd b back to see her again in a couple hours.

In the mean time, I had a Duskull to see to.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: I'm back! Yay for being home again! And man, have I missed sleeping in my own bed… Onto relevant matters! Sorry for how long it took to update this, but as I've warned you all, I've been in the mountains until just this morning. There is no internet in the mountains. Heck, I didn't even have my laptop while up there for reasons being that my Aunt is a stickler about electronics. **So**! I haven't been able to really work on this story of mine. I've written out some chapters, and have base outlines for future one, but it may take a bit to go back and rewrite what I have written onto my laptop. At the very least, I should have the next chapter out tomorrow, as I already have most of it types up.

Until then, my readers.

~Nana


	69. Chapter Sixty Eight

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Eight_

I stood on the outskirts of Olivine City, surrounded by trees. At my side stood Poliwhirl, Sandslash, Flaaffy, and Sneasel. In front of me floated the Duskull that my sister had sent me. Flying in the sky was Noctowl, acting as lookout. After all, it wouldn't due for Nathan to come looking for me, only to stumble upon me with his soon to be gift.

While my main focus would be with the uncertain looking Duskull, Nathan's birthday being in less than a week now, I'd also have to split my time in doing some last minute training with the Pokemon beside me as well, three of the four being the one's that I'd have to use in my Gym Battle against Jasmine. With Growlithe out, who I had planned on being my ace in the hole against the other woman's Steel-Types, I'd instead have to rearrange my plans on whom I'm going to take with me to face her.

Since Steel-Type's were weak against Fire-Type, Fighting-Type, and Ground-Type moves, many of the other Types having little to no effect on them, my choices were better than some. Not the best, but not bad, either.

Sandslash, being a Ground-Type, would have been my best bet after Growlithe. The only problem was that he knew only two actual Ground based moves; Sand-Attack and Mud-Slap. Neither of which all that useful in a Gym Battle, even against a Steel-Type. Almost all of his other moves were Normal based. Not exactly effect against Steel.

Then, there was Poliwhirl. While being a Water-Type, he also knew the move Mud-Shot. Given, it wasn't his best move as I rarely had him use it after first learning it, but at least it was _something_.

Next, Flaaffy. While her moves wouldn't be super effect against any of the Steel-Types, I could at least hope to use her Thunder Wave to paralyze the opponents. From there, I'd figure something out. Hopefully.

Lastly, there was Sneasel. Despite being a Dark/Ice-Type, she knew a Ground based move; Dig. She could also use her great speed to avoid the oncoming attacks, but doing such would require her listening to me while in battle. Which, as of right now, was not completely likely. Hence, the training.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I first turned towards Flaaffy.

"Flaaffy, you'll be working on our Thunder Wave, okay? Try getting your precision down without taking too much time with the move." My sleepy looking Flaaffy's eyes opened a fraction more, nodding her head with an agreeing sound. Looking around for a suitable target, my eyes zeroed in on a tree's branch that was roughly ten feet in the air. It was thin enough to make hitting it an obstacle for some, but I had faith in my little Pokemon.

Pointing towards the hanging branch, I motioned Flaaffy over. "That branch will be your target." Without another word, Flaaffy made her way over to the tree, stopping a few feet ahead of the branch I had pointed at. Tilting her head upwards to look at it, tail swinging back and forth, my Flaaffy let out a curious noise before electricity started gathering on her body. In five seconds time, the weak amount of gather electricity was sent shooting towards the offending branch. Of the five sparks sent, only two actually managed to hit the branch. While it would have been enough to paralyze a Pokemon, it could be better, and we both knew it.

I head Flaaffy let out a huff, and I knew without having to see her face that her eyes had no doubt narrowed at the lightly swaying branch, more electricity already gathering on her fleece. With her now occupied, I turned my attention towards Sandslash.

For a second, I was at a slight loss on what to do, but mentally shook my head as I pulled out my Pokedex. Double checking all of his known moves, I made up my mind.

"Okay, Sandslash, you'll be working a little bit more on you Swift and Crush Claw. Start with Swift, then move onto your Crush Claw. When you're done with those moves, practice some more on your Mud Slap. Your target will be…" I did another quick once over of the surrounding before deciding, "That tree there." I pointed at the standing tree, it being close enough that I wouldn't have to worry about losing sight of my Pokemon, but still far enough away to let him concentrate.

My Pokemon gave a sharp nod at me before running off, arriving at the tree in no time. Sparing a moment to stare the tree down, Sandslash set to work, letting out a barrage of spinning stars, all of which hit the tree. Nodding my head in silent satisfaction, I next looked towards my Poliwhirl.

Standing straight, he gave me a mock salute, looking like a soldier ready to receive a command from their superior. I grinned at the thought and mental image that came along with it.

"Today, I need you to be practicing your Mud-Shot. It's of vital importance that you work on your aim as well as power. Understood?" I couldn't help it, I rather got into the act being a general, giving out orders as if I really was one. Much to my amusement, Poliwhirl let out a fierce cry, for a Poliwhirl that is, and dropped his messy salute, turning towards a patch of ground that wasn't nearly covered in grass without having to be told. What really got a kick out of me was the fact that he was trying to march over there. How he learned such a thing, I didn't know, but amused nonetheless.

With a shake of my head, I looked over the remaining two Pokemon. Sneasel had her arms crossed, head turned away from me with her nose in the air. Duskull, on the other hand, was floating in place, looking at a lost on what he was suppose to be doing.

Figuring that my prissy Pokemon could wait a bit longer, I focused my attention on the Duskull.

Speaking gently, not wanting to make the already unsure Pokemon even more wary of me, I started to explain the situation concerning him and Nathan.

"First off, my name is Sandra, and you're now in Johto. I asked my sister to catch you for me to give to a friend of mine for his birthday. He really loves Ghost-Types, so you don't have to worry about him not liking you." However faintly, the Duskull relaxed. "He already owns two other Ghost-Types, so I imagine that you won't have to worry about not having others to play with." Here, the Duskull really looked to cheer up.

"Nathan, the boy that I'm going to be giving you to, is a Trainer much like myself. While you're with him, I'm sure that he'll be training you to be the best that you can be. I just wanted to make sure that you would know what was going to be happening. Until his birthday, feel free to do as you wish, though please try to stay near." I half asked, half told to the surprisingly cheery Ghost. Huh. The attitude was unexpected, but not unwelcomed.

No doubt Nathan will be thrilled to not only have another Ghost-Type from another region, but one that would be considered different from others of his type. Leave it to my sister to find the one cheery Ghost Pokemon.

As the Duskull drifted off to mingle with my working Pokemon, eying them with a curious noise as they practiced their moves, I turned to my last Pokemon. I frowned at the proud and stubborn Pokemon, already seeing a long day ahead of me.

Heaving a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair. Time to get to the _real_ challenge of the day.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	70. Chapter Sixty Nine

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Sixty Nine_

Nathan wasted no time in pouncing on me the second I walked through the doors of the Pokemon Center. He literly _pounced_ on me, jumping from where he had been pacing back and forth to hang around my neck. Between his demands to know where I had been for the past four hours and pleas to know if I was okay, I spotted Aaron standing a bit of ways back, leaning against the wall as he watched Nathan and I with a small frown.

Neither was happy to wake expecting to find me still at the hospital, only to find me 'missing' after being discharged early.

Having known ahead of time that this sort of reaction would happen when I had decided to go off on my own without telling either of them, I was not disappointed when Nathan refused to let me go, set on giving me a lecture for my 'rash actions'. I had to hide my smile behind a hand at his use of words. Seems Nathan was taking a page from my parents, even using the near exact wording as them. Not that I was about to tell him that.

Walking over to take a seat, Nathan kept his grip on me and remained unaffected by the move, not fazed in the bit as he continued to lecture me. Out of the corner of my eye I was Aaron follow soon after, taking a seat across from Nathan and me. His frown had lightened to nothing more than a blank look, arms crossed over his chest as he nodded along every so often with Nathan.

"—so much as leave a note! A simple note! What was so hard about leaving a note with Nurse Joy for us? Are you even listening to me, Sandy?"

Giving a weary smile and nod, I prepared myself for a long chewing out. It was worth it, though. And even if Nathan wasn't aware of it, he'd be thankful later.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was another two days before Growlithe was released from Nurse Joy's care. At the older woman's command, I was to keep my fiery Pokemon out of Pokemon battles for an additional two days, something that I had been expecting, so relented on easily enough. Thankfully, during the past two days I had been out with my Pokemon, those that I had it narrowed it down to when I was to face off against Jasmine in another days time.

While I could have simply waited an extra two or three days for Growlithe to be in fighting condition again, I wasn't about to push her after escaping a near death experience. When we all left Olivine City, _then_ I would continue her training and allow her back in Pokemon battles. Until then, though, she was going to be sitting on the side lines.

With a sigh, I sat down on the hard ground, the thin grass doing little for comfort. My Pokemon paused what they were doing to look over at me, questioningly. Growlithe, who was laying next to me, turned her head to look up at me, head tilted to the side. I shook my head at my gathered Pokemon, silently telling them that it was nothing they needed to worry about. Some hesitated, but they all eventually went back to what they were doing. It was basically the same group of Pokemon from two days ago, the only difference being that Growlithe had taken Duskull's place, and Noctowl was no longer acting as a lookout, instead partaking in some training herself.

Alone, Nathan and Aaron off training their own teams, I allowed myself a moment to simply breath. With the combined events these past few days, I was feeling rather stressed out. Between the whole fiasco with Growlithe going overboard, to my impending battle with Olivine's Gym leader, not to mention Nathan's birthday only a day after we were scheduled to challenge Jasmine, it hasn't been my best week.

I've only been able the stress from getting to be by the knowledge that in a few days time, everything would be well and okay again. I would no longer have to worry about Growlithe's near death experience (at least, not nearly as much), I could put the Gym Battle behind me, and Nathan would have his Pokemon present.

Letting out a breath of air, I closed my eyes and thought of noting but the sun on my face, the gentle sea breeze blowing, and the sudden white light that I could make out even with closed eyes.

Wait. Back up. Sudden white light?

Holding back a groan, I risked opening an eye to see my Flaaffy glowing, slowing growing in height, her appearance changing. I stared long enough to see Flaaffy change into a bewildered looking Ampharos, staring down at her new body, letting out a surprised noise.

Closing my eye once again, I let myself flop onto my back, mentally adding having to deal with a newly evolved Pokemon onto my now growing list. Having one's Pokemon evolve was good and all, but it usually took a good couple hours for the newly evolved Pokemon to get us to their body, reworking on all of their known moves to make sure that they could still do them as well as before.

My already long afternoon had just gotten longer.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The next day, Nathan, Aaron, Growlithe, and I were standing in front of the reception desk of the Olivine Gym. After giving our names, she ushered us into the battle arena itself, where Jasmine was already waiting for us. With a 'good luck' from Aaron, he and Nathan moved over to the side to watch.

Finally, Jasmine spoke. He voice was soft, and hard to hear from across the battle arena. I had to strain my ears to make out what she said to me.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jasmine, a Gym Leader. I use the...Steel type!" She offered me a small, hesitant smile, one which I easily returned." ...Do you know about the Steel type? They are very hard, cold, sharp, and really strong! Um... I'm not lying."

Blinking, I shook my head. "I believe you. I've had to battle a few in the past, and I even a Pokemon that's half Steel. I know quite well how strong they are."

Jasmine looked to cheer up at this slightly, her smile growing.

"Then let up battle." And with that, the referee called a start to our match.

We both released out chosen Pokemon at the same time. In front of me appeared my newly evolved Ampharos, while a Magnemite hovered in front of Jasmine.

Jasmine seemed briefly surprised at my Pokemon, while I blinked at her Magnemite. This should be fun.

Shrugging my shoulders, I started the battle as Jasmine didn't look like she was about to.

"Charge and Growl."

My Pokemon let out a low growl that had the Magnemite backing up, sparks gathering along her body, ready to be used to power up an electric move.

"Supersonic!" Jasmine called out, her Magnemite drifting forward, letting out three blue rings that moved towards my Pokemon.

"Dodge and ThunderPunch."

With a burst of speed, my Ampharos did as told, swiftly moving around the blue rings, one paw, and in extent her arm, becoming covered in sparking electricity. Sprinting towards the hovering opponent, she lashed out with a solid punch. The hit landed, hitting the Magnemite where it's face was, the Pokemon letting out a pained cry at the power of the hit.

With that, Ampharos jumped back, letting out a cheery cry at making contact. As I had hoped, my Pokémon's ability kicked in with the hit, paralyzing the Magnemite.

Jasmine frowned, calling out her next attack to her injured, but hanging on Pokemon.

"Thunder Wave!"

I tsk'ed, now both of our Pokemon paralyzed.

"Now SonicBoom, Magnemite!"

"Try to dodge, then Charge."

Not able to run to dodge the oncoming attack, Ampharos instead fell forward onto her stomach, letting the attack sail harmlessly overhead. Then, she began to charge once more.

Jasmine, not wanting to take any more chances, called out for another Supersonic.

Knowing that there would be no dodging the attack this time around, I called out for Ampharos to let loose a ThunderShock. Thankful for small miracles, Ampharos was able to shot off a ThunderShock just before the Supersonic hit, now not only leaving my Pokemon Paralyzed, but confused.

As the ThunderShock hit the Magnemite, the attack doing more damage than it would have done without first being charged, I recalled my Ampharos. I was making use of the rule that I was allowed to switch out Pokemon, while the Gym Leader could not.

Grabbing another Pokemon in exchange for Ampharos', I let out my second Pokemon. My Sandslash. With the Magnemite already hurt, hopefully my Sandslash would be able to finish it off.

Not waiting for Jasmine to no doubt call out a Supersonic, I began ordering Sandslash.

"Get close and Crush Claw."

Rolling into a ball, Sandslash rolled forward at an impressive speed, easily dodging around the Supersonic sent his way. Not about to question how my Pokemon knew where the attack was headed, I instead kept silent as I watch Sandslash jump out of his rolled form and towards the hovering Magnemite, bringing his sharp claws around the Pokemon the pushing.

Now close to fainting, the Magnemite moved closer to the ground, Sandslash moving back to perform my ordered Swift. The attack was enough to have the Magnemite faint, much to my silent relief. One down, two to go.

Just as silently, Jasmine replaced the defeated Magnemite with another. I held back a huff, eyeing the fully healed Pokemon. At least my own Pokemon was just as fully healed, having taken no damage from the previous Magnemite.

Plans zipped around my mind, going through all of Sandslash's known moves. A simple Claw Crush and Swift wouldn't be taking down this Magnemite so easily. All I could hope for was that Sandslash would be able to dodge and land his own attacks.

"Supersonic!"

"Dodge." I mentally noted that my best move for the moment would to be keeping Sandslash as far away from Magnemite as possible. It would be harder for my Pokemon to dodge the Supersonic up close.

"SonicBoom!"

"Defense Curl then Swift."

"Use another SonicBoom!"

"Dodge and Mud-Slap." Though the attack itself was low on the power scale, it still looked to affect the Magnemite more than some of the other moves I've been having Sandslash use against the Pokemon. That settled it then.

"Keep using Mud-Slap." I calmly ordered, my eyes watching the weakening Magnemite. Behind the Pokemon was a frowning Gym Leader, the woman eyeing my own Pokemon.

"Continue using SonicBoom!"

For a while, all that happened were the launching and dodging of attacks. Few of the actual attacks landed, and with every dodge the Pokemon became more and more worn-out. At the rate things were going, they were more likely to pass out due to sheer fatigue rather than due to landed hits.

Jasmine seemed to realize this as well, as she started to throw in Supersonics, a move that I swiftly countered by having Sandslash switch from Mud-Slaps to Swifts. Sure, it might not be nearly effective as Mud-Slap, but at least the move was a known hit. Add in how tired the Magnemite was already, and it only took three separate uses of the move for the Pokemon to faint.

As Jasmine recalled her Pokemon, the referee calling the second match in my favor, I eyed my panting and tired Sandslash. There was no way that he would be able to take on the third Pokemon, and if what Aaron said was true, his moves would do little anyways.

Mind made up, I returned my Sandslash with a pleased smile and nod of my head, my Pokemon to seemingly smarten under the look no matter how tired. I always seemed to get the proud ones.

This time, I waited for Jasmine to release her last Pokemon. Though I trusted Aaron, I wanted to see it with my own eyes before sending out my own Pokemon. I was only slightly comforted with the knowledge that at least none of my other two Pokemon had technically fainted, only recalled, so even if my third Pokemon was to faint, I could fall back and hopefully defeat the last of Jasmine's. I could hope.

At the release of the monstrous Steelix, I gulped at the towering Pokemon. This was not going to be fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	71. Chapter Seventy

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy_

I woke the next morning to pounding on my door. Both Growlithe and I glared at the offending noise, Growlithe even letting out a low growl for her sleep being interrupted so early. On the other side of the door, Nathan's voice filtered through, excitement easily heard. Giving a long sigh, knowing that there was no beating an excited Nathan, I sat up.

Calling out that I was now wide awake, Nathan stopped his noise making. No doubt left to go wake Aaron, if he wasn't already awake.

Yawning, I rubbed at my eyes as I slipped out of bed, going through the motions of getting ready for the day. Growlithe continued to lie on the bed, lightly dozing until I was ready to leave. The lazy Pokemon.

Just as I was about to leave, I made sure to grab the small gift wrapped box that held Nathan's Pokemon present inside it. With it in hand, I opened my current room, letting Growlithe out first before following.

I met Nathan and Aaron down in the lobby, Nathan looking beyond happy. Seeing him, my morning grumpiness dissolved, a smile spreading on my face. Giving a quick once over of the lobby, I saw Aaron talking to Nurse Joy at the counter, a few other Trainer's spread out in the early morning. Thankful that there weren't so many others present so early in the morning, I made my way over to the grinning Nathan, wrapped present hidden behind my back.

"Morning Sandy!" He greeted once I got close enough, rocking on his feet.

I smiled warmly at him, reaching over to ruffle his hair much to his chagrin. "Good morning birthday boy. How does it feel, being eleven?"

He paused in his actions, face screwed up in thought, tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth.

"I don't know." He started slowly. "I can't really tell the difference."

I nodded sagely at him. "Give it time, it'll hit you sooner or later." My 'wise' face cracked into a grin, removing the neatly wrapped present from behind my back to present to him. "Present time!"

Nathan let out a loud 'Whoop!', drawing some attention from those up and about. Aaron finally made his way over, one hand clenched around something. No doubt his own gift for Nathan, seeing how I had told the older man about Nathan's upcoming birthday roughly two weeks ago.

I watched with an amused face as Nathan ripped into his present, not bothering to carefully unwrap the wrapping like some tended to do. Opening the lid to the box, he stared down at the miniature Pokeball in curiosity. Carefully reaching for it, as if it would bite him if he moved to fast, Nathan set down the empty box and enlarged the Pokeball, sending me a look, silently asking if it was okay to let the Pokemon out inside the Pokemon Center.

Nodding at him, He returned my smile and let out the Duskull.

As soon as it became apparent just what the Pokemon was, Nathan's eyes widened, his hands going slack as he greedily took in the floating Duskull. The Duskull spared me a questioning look, to which I nodded my head at the unmoving Nathan. Catching my drift, the Duskull drifted closer to the boy, letting out a greeting. It was enough for Nathan to snap out of his daze, letting out another loud 'Whoop!', launching at me for a hug as he thanked me over and over again for his 'awesomely amazing' Duskull.

I laughed along with Aaron's soft own laugh, returning the hug with just as much vigor. We all ignored the weird looks from the other Trainer's.

Within seconds, Nathan released me and faced his new Duskull.

"Hello." He said softly. "My name is Nathan. I'm going to be your new Trainer."

Duskull, already having been expecting this, drifted closer to Nathan, what could be described as a smile in place. At the Pokémon's pleased greeting, Nathan was once again grinning.

"We're going to be the best of friends, I just know it. And just wait 'till you meet Gengar and Misdreavus! You'll love them!"

As Nathan rambled on in his excitement, Aaron and I shared an amused look above his head, Growlithe leaning against my leg for a resting post. _'Lazy Pokemon'_ I thought with affection, sparing her a glance.

When Nathan seemed to be done talking to his new Pokemon, Aaron coughed to gather his and the Duskull's attention. Without another word, he held out his hand, Nathan automatically reaching up with his own hands to catch whatever it was that Aaron handed over for him.

At the sight of it, both Nathan's and my eyes widened.

Through my extensive research of Evolution Stones, I knew without having to think about it that the dark purple stone resting in Nathan's hand was none other than a Dusk Stone.

"For when you want to evolve you're Misdreavus." He said simply, hands in his pockets now.

Nathan stared at Aaron with a slightly agape mouth, his Duskull floating next to his head.

"Thank you." Nathan finally managed to get out, Aaron nodding his head in reply.

"No problem. Now, should we get some breakfast?"

Nathan, Growlithe, and I perked up at that. Breakfast was always a good thing.

.-.-.-.-.-.

We spent the rest of the day doing things that Nathan wanted to do, which ranged from going to the beach, to visiting the lighthouse, to letting out all of our Pokemon to enjoy a large lunch as those present got to know Nathan's Duskull.

With both Nathan and I having won our matches against Jasmine, my Poliwhirl having been able to tie off with her Steelix after a close to ten minute battle, Nathan having managed to beat her with only having to use his Golem and now Feraligatr, we had a few days wait till my parents latest package arrived. Jasmine hadn't been all that happy about losing two battles back to back, but had nonetheless offered to teach out Pokemon the move Iron Tail, something that she offered to everyone that beat her.

After having to go against the move from Steelix, both Nathan and I jumped at the opportunity to have our Pokemon learn it. Since Aaron had already done such when he had defeated Jasmine, he would be out shopping or wondering the town when we were to meet back up with her the day after Nathan's birthday.

Aaron, as an extra gift for not only Nathan, but to me as well, offered to teach our Water-Types Surf, another thing that we both jumped at.

Later that night, well after letting my Poliwhirl and Horsea and Nathan's Feraligatr learn the move Surf, Nathan's birthday dinner and desert, I logged onto my Trainer Account, going through my list of Pokemon who could learn Iron Tail. At my side, Nathan was doing the same on a separate computer, Aaron already back in his room.

With the last adjustments made, I logged off after sending a quick note to my sister's account, letting her know that her Pokemon search for the Duskull was not in vain.

Giving Nathan's hair one last ruffle, I said my goodnights. With Growlithe trailing after, I headed up to my room. The day had been rather exhausting, and sleep sounded mighty appealing right about now. But first, a nice long shower.

How I loved Pokemon Centers.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	72. Chapter Seventy One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy One_

We spent the next morning in the company of Jasmine, as well as three other Trainer's who had managed to beat her. With so many different Pokemon, it took a couple hours to get to where all of those that could learn the move did, in fact, learn it.

In my case, I had my Nidorino, Growlithe, Raticate, Ampharos, Sandslash, and Sneasel learn the move Iron Tail. Nathan, not having nearly as many Pokemon as me who could learn the move, had his Feraligatr, Raticate, and Flaaffy after making a hasty call to the Pokemon Day Care that he had left his Pokemon at so long ago. Not only was his Flaaffy glad to be back with his Trainer, but from what the old couple said, about ready to evolve.

Nathan couldn't have been more thrilled.

When done with Jasmine, Nathan and I split up, both going to do some training to work with our Pokemon more concerning the Iron Tail. Neither of us knew where Aaron was, but seeing how he was twice Nathan's age, neither of us worried.

Since Nidorino had little of a tail to speak of, only having learned the move so when he evolved into a Nidoking he would know the move, I instead had my starter work more on his Toxic Spikes, a move that would no doubt be useful in future matches. Now all he needed to learn was the move Flatter, then I was going to see how he felt about evolving via he Moon Stone that still sat at the bottom of my bag.

I had silently debated about simply waiting until my Pokemon leaned all of the moves that he could while still a Nidorino, but I also knew that I would need him at full power and strength if I wanted to a chance on beating the last two Gym Leaders. With six of my Pokemon knowing Iron Tail, as well as Growlithe knowing her fair share of Fire-Type moves, I hoped that I'd be able to win against Pryce easily enough. The real challenge, though, was going to be going up against Clair.

With her, I knew without having to be told that I'd need to choose my Pokemon extremely carefully. After all, very few Pokemon could go up against a Dragon Tamer and win. Aaron, a man who was still stronger then both Nathan and me, had lost against her. Given, that had been awhile ago for him, and his Pokemon had clearly been improving ever since, but the fact of the matter stayed.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit worried about going up against Clair.

But now wasn't the time to start panicking; I would have more than enough time to do that later. Right now, I needed to focus on training my Pokemon for Pryce. This, was going to be fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I had been training with my Horsea and Poliwhirl in the pool behind the Pokemon Center when s_he_ appeared. I had chosen to use the medium sized pool instead of the ocean simply for the reason that I wanted some form of privacy while I trained my Pokemon. With my Horsea so close to evolving, I wanted her to be able to evolve without other Trainers or kids gawking.

In theory, my plan was great. What I failed to factor in, though, was the chance that someone else would come to use the small pool as well.

The only warning that I got was from my Growlithe, the Pokemon laying on the opposite side of the pool in the shade of the trees. She had been lazily watching Horsea and Poliwhirl go against one another when her head snapped up and stared right past me, eyes narrowed. Just as I was about to turn around myself to see what, or rather who, caught my Pokémon's eye, when a loud squeal cut the air.

"Like, OMG, is that a Horsea _and_ a Growlithe!"

I visibly twitched at not only the voice, but the words. Another squeal, this time right next to my ear. When in the—?

"Are these, like, _your_ Pokemon?" A very hyper, very ear grating, voice asked me from my side. I was afraid to look over, but against my better judgment of simply returning my Pokemon and flat out _running_, I slowly nodded. When she started babbling on about how cute they were, I finally gave in and turned to look at who was standing beside me.

I had to blink, rub my eyes, and blink a few more times to make sure that I was seeing right.

Now, I had seen some pretty weird things while out on my Pokemon journey. Things from bizarre hair colors and styles, to the rich 'asking' for help, to towns dedicated to a single species of Pokemon. The girl beside me, though, she took the cake.

_Never_ had I seem someone actually dress like a Pokemon.

She looked to be only slightly younger than me, her hair obviously dyed bright blonde as brown roots were peeking through. That was the only normal thing about her.

Her shirt was a bright yellow, nearly matching her hair, her pants being the same eye-blinding color. Covering her arms were yellow gloves, reaching all the way up to her elbow. Around the collar of shirt was a black pattern that had three 'spikes' aiming downward. On top of her head was a headpiece that featured two triangular ears, surrounded by black, leaving only the center a bright yellow. Attached to the back of her pants was a black _tail_ of all things, and to complete the look, there were two perfect reddish-pink circles on her cheeks.

I was looking at a humanoid Pichu. What was the world _coming_ to…? What was next, some guy dressed up as a _Xatu_?

I must have dazed for a second, as the next thing I knew the girl was bending down and reaching for my Horsea, cooing at her as one would talk to a baby. Oh, dear. Maybe I should warn her that Hors—

"Ahh!" The girl screamed out, falling back onto her butt as my not-so-amused Horsea shot ink onto the girl's face, glaring.

Oops. Too late.

As the girl furiously scrubbed at her face, crying out in despair as her 'perfect face' was ruined, I sent a subtle wink and grin at my now pleased Horsea. I swear that across from us Growlithe was laughing, her entire body shaking as she barked. Poliwhirl had at this point gotten out of the pool, standing next to me.

A cruel and evil thought passed through my mind, one that made my grin turn not so sweet and innocent. I couldn't help it. Really, I couldn't.

Glancing down at my Poliwhirl, I 'kindly' ordered him to help the 'poor teenager' by using his Water Gun to help wash off the ink.

I don't actually what had made me order it, much less think it in the first place. It's not like I had something against the younger girl, besides a small amount of annoyance for her interrupting my training and trying to touch my Pokemon.

Maybe I just wanted to act out and try the whole 'teenage rebellion' phase that my parents always feared, having never classified my refusal to become a Pokemon Trainer since I had that mind set for years.

Whatever the reason for my actions, it left one shrieking teenager who was glaring daggers at me. If possible, Growlithe was in laughing even harder in her Pokemon way. Horsea looked smug, while Poliwhirl stood straight at my side, the ever perfect solder with narrowed eyes on the ink stained and now wet girl.

"You-you-you—!" She was past the point of being able to form complete sentences, much less half sentences.

I widened my eyes, taking on the look of shocked innocence. "I'm terribly sorry! I was just trying to help wash off the ink!"

She threw her hands in the air, letting out another noise of anger. Within seconds, her hand flew to her pocket, pulling out a Pokeball and enlarging it. Before I knew it, a small, black and yellow Pokemon stood before me. It was a Pichu, the same Pokemon that the girl was dressed as.

"Thunder, Pichu!" The drenched girl shouted out, pointing at me and Poliwhirl. Said Pokemon looked bewildered at the sudden command, much less its targets, but went about gather electricity anyways.

I let out a yelp, jumping back, trying to get as far away from the small yet dangerous Pokemon as possible. Sure I might have (really) deserved the other girl's anger, but not to be electrocuted to death!

Just as quickly, Growlithe was running over to me, Poliwhirl was letting out a war cry, and Horsea was glowing a bright white, letting out a cute war cry that was quick in becoming deeper, fiercer. Before I, much less the girl and her small Pokemon, my three present Pokemon let out a combined attack at the surprised Pichu.

Once the smoke cleared, I found myself on my back, dazed. Blinking up at the sky, I willed my body to move, hoping against hope that I hadn't been hurt to where I would need to go back to the hospital.

I really, _really_, didn't want to go back.

Letting out a breath once I found I could move my arms, legs, and head without feeling any sort of pain, I slowly sat up, curious as to what had become of my Pokemon, the Pichu, and the girl.

The girl, much like myself, was on her back, slowing getting back up. Growlithe was crouched in front of me, out of breath but looking no worse for wear. Poliwhirl was on one knee, looking to be in slight pain. It would only make sense as he was the closest of my Pokemon to the blast. In the pool was my now evolved Pokemon, Seadra.

The Pichu had obviously gotten the brunt of the attack, having been thrown back at not only the combined attacks of my Pokemon, but the failed attack of its own having exploded upon it. Currently, it was lying a few feet from its Trainer, out cold.

Looking over the whole scene, I let out a low, impressed, whistle.

"We are so not telling Nathan about this."

.-.-.-.-.-.


	73. Chapter Seventy Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Two_

As it turned out, keeping the whole 'training' incident from Nathan and Aaron was impossible when the Trainer that just happened to be staying in the Pokemon Center as well.

Yeah. Not my most well thought out plan, that.

To say Nathan and Aaron had not been impressed would have been an understatement. Even when I weakly pointed out Horsea's evolution into Seadra, it was only received with a raised eyebrow from Aaron and roll of eyes from Nathan.

Whatever. Not like I had any plans of repeating my actions anyways.

Nathan got over his anger with me, though, when the teenage girl that I had 'fought' with earlier had started badmouthing not only me, but my Pokemon to other passing Trainers staying at the Pokemon Center. Aaron had been soon to follow, though privately, I think it was more because she had tried hitting on him, only to get angry when he turned her down.

Needless to say, the three of us were quite happy when she left the next day.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Our remaining days in Olivine were rather dull. Most of it was filled with either training, swimming, or simply lounging around the lobby of the Pokemon Center. I think it was safe to say that we all tired of being in the same place for so long, more than ready to hit the road again. So it was with much relief when my package from my parents arrived.

It came in the late afternoon, Nathan, Aaron, and I having only just gotten back from another day at the beach. We didn't get far into the Pokemon Center before Nurse Joy was waving us over. When we made our way over, I had a good idea of what was going on when she reached for something beneath the counter, only to pull out a medium sized box wrapped in way to much duck tape.

"This came for you about an hour ago, Sandra." She said as she pushed the brown bow towards me.

"Ah, thank you." I grabbed the box, it being surprisingly light for the size. With Nathan at my side looking the box over, and Aaron behind me, the three of us made our way over to one of the many offered couches in the lobby.

Without having to be asked, Aaron reached into his back pocket and offered me a small red swiss army knife. I gratefully took it, unlatching the small blade to cut through the extreme amounts of duct tape that my parents had used on the box. No doubt my dad's doing.

At last, the last of the duck tape was cut. Quickly returning the swiss army knife to Aaron, I opened the box, Nathan's and my heads moving to peer into the box.

"It's a…uh…it's ah…what is it?" I asked to both Nathan and Aaron, hoping that one of them would know what the strange looking device was inside the box.

It looked like a mockery of a crown, as weird as it seemed, made of metal. Where the jewels would have gone in a real crown were instead small yellow sphere made of a material that I couldn't place. All in all, it was not what I had been expecting from my parents.

Aaron reached in to lift the strange item out of the box, moving it this way and that as he examined it with a curious eye, Nathan and I simply watching. The younger boy was as lost as I was.

"I think I may know what this is…" Aaron started only to trail off as he made his way over to one of the offered computers, Nathan and I quick to follow him. We stood behind him as he claimed the seat in front of the computer, having handed the mock crown back to me, the box that it came in back on the couch.

It took Aaron only five minutes to find what he was looking for, making a small 'Ah' noise. Turning around, he motioned to the screen with one hand.

"As I thought. Your parents sent you an Experience Share, otherwise known as simply the Exp. Share." I nodded to show that I was listening, looking over his shoulder to look at the page he was on, only to blink blankly at the picture that held an identical copy of what was in my hands. The rest of the page was dedicated to long winded paragraphs that was full of scientific meanings and words, loosing me within seconds. "They were really big around twenty years ago, being the 'cool' way to train one's Pokemon. The thing is, the company who invented them only created roughly a thousand of them, being a first come, first serve sort of deal."

He motioned to the item—Exp. Share—in my hand. "Your parents must have gotten one when they came out, as very rarely can you find one on the market these days."

"Really? That's so cool! But, how do they help train Pokemon?" Nathan asked, eyes wide with his head tilted to the side.

"Just as it name says, really. If you have a Pokemon wear the device, and have another Pokemon in a battle, the one wearing the Exp. Share receives half the amount of experience as the Pokemon fighting." He paused to shrug. "There's also the technical reason for why it works, involving some long mathematical formula, but I don't know enough of it to explain clearly."

"Wow…" Nathan breathed out, and I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement.

The three of us all stared at the seeming innocent looking device in my hands. This, was going to be interesting.

.-.-.-.-.-.

We left Olivine City the very next morning, all more than ready to leave. While I would miss being able to relax on the beach whenever I felt like it, the thought of my precious DS being almost in reach spurred me on. Only two more badges, then I could officially be _done_ with my Pokemon journey.

Sure, it had actually been an interesting journey, and my hate for Pokemon was no longer as strong as it had been (So I had a soft spot for my own Pokemon, sue me), but I was ready to sleep in my own bed again, head back to school, and most importantly, buy a heavy duty safe with as many locks I can afford.

There was no way in hell I was going to risk this all happening again. As soon as I was done and home, I was locking up everything of value. I'd like to see my father try to blackmail me into another Pokemon journey _then_!

All that was really left, besides earning these last two badges and buying a safe, was deciding what to do with my Pokemon. I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't miss them all if I were to give them to other Trainer's or set them free.

I don't know what I'd do without Growlithe there to curl up next to me every night, her body giving off enough heat to keep me warm without the need of a blanket, fur soft, scars only adding personality. Growling at anyone one that dared to get too close to me or Nathan. My 'silent' protector; survivor.

Or Nidorino, no longer there to glare and mock at the Pokemon not on my team, laughing along with my at other Trainer's attempts of training their Pokemon. His bloodthirsty yet equally protective nature, ready to trample or poison those that threatened. My starter; the fighter.

Noctowl, my prideful Pokemon who loved to preen my hair, cooing softly at me as if I was her precious child. Easily as stubborn as myself, but always willing to do as I ask of her. My flying guardian; the scout.

Raticate, Poliwhirl, Gengar, Ampharos, Hypno, Pinsir, Seadra, Magnemite, Sandslash; heck, even Sneasel. They were all my precious Pokemon, and I their Trainer. They all held a spot on my team, I not being able to get where I was without them. At some point, I had stopped thinking of them as tools to use to get where I wanted, but instead as the beings that they are.

Looking down at my Growlithe, always walking beside me, I couldn't help the fond smile.

No, I didn't know when, exactly, my mindset and feelings started to change, but I wasn't sad or mad that they had. I wouldn't change anything.

"Hey, Sandy! Hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" Nathan yelled out, startling me out of my thoughts. Looking up, I blinked in surprise to find them so far ahead of me. Grinning, I waved at them, giving one last glance down at Growlithe.

"Race you." I teased, wasting no time in taking off, surprising my Pokemon. I already knew that I'd lose, Growlithe shooting past me with a bark of a laugh, but it didn't matter.

I'd think about the end of my journey later. Now, I had a race to lose.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: So, being sick during summer is no fun. Writing this chapter was rater painful, my headache not letting up. So, if there are an abnormal amount of errors, sorry. That'd be the medicine at work.

Didn't mean to get so serious at the end; it just sorta happened. I can't even remember how it happened in the first place o.O I really need some sleep.


	74. Chapter Seventy Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Three_

The days between Olivine and Ecruteak City were filled with battling other Trainers, battling the wild Pokemon we came across, and on a few separate occasions, battling against one another. So in short, a whole lot of battling.

Between the three of us, we were putting my parent's latest gift to full use, the Exp. Share being passed amongst the three of us like crazy. It got to the point where we had to set a pattern on who got to battle with it next.

All of us wanted to be as ready as possible when it came to not only Nathan's and my next Gym Match in Mahogany, but for all of our final confrontation against Clair. Aaron, especially, was putting his everything into training his Pokemon in one of the final legs of our journey. He did _not_ want to lose again.

Even with our up and coming battles in mind, we all did our best to not let the stress get to us. We would let out our Pokemon at night and simply relax around the campfire. When we finally did reach Ecruteak, instead of simply passing through, we spent a good two days there, letting our Pokemon rest properly at the Pokemon Center while we took to sightseeing.

Being able to visit both the Bell Tower and the Burned Tower, both apart of the myth surrounding our region, was nice. While Nathan only really cared about the wild Pokemon that could be found in the Burned Tower, both Aaron and I took a moment to listen an older man told us the story behind the two towers. We had both already heard it, me having practically grown up listening to it from my family, but it's always a fun story to listen to.

On out second and last day there, we all stopped by the Ecruteak Dance Theater. It was something that I had always heard about, but never been able to see. Much to the boy's disgruntlement, I dragged them along, not wanting to go alone. Neither had been all that excited, but once the show had started, they were good little boys and watched without complaint.

I gave a satisfied smirk when once the show was over. Nathan had jumped up to join in on the clapping, Aaron not far behind. All comments about the dance being to girly for them to watch never started back up, much to my amusement. That would show them.

We left Ecruteak City that same day, though not before stocking up on supplies at both the Poke Mart and the Supermarket. We were all aware that we'd have to pass through Mt. Mortar in order to reach Mahogany Town, a trip that'd be far from easy. It'd easily give Dark Cave a run for its money light wise, not to mention the wild Pokemon and inside lakes. Add in its multiple levels, maze-like tunnels, and sheer size, we'd be lucky to get through it in two days.

Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this leg of our journey.

Luckily, we all had at least one Pokemon who could use the Move Flash, which would help immensely in our hike through the mountain. For Nathan, it'd be his Flaaffy, who he hoped to evolve before we reached Mahogany. For Aaron it'd be his starter, Meganium. And for me, my own Ampharos. Between our three Pokemon, our light source wouldn't be a problem. Add in being able to use Meganium to go up against any Rock-Types, while I'd be able to use Growlithe to go up against any Pokemon that _wasn't_ Rock or Ground, and we were golden.

Just to be on the safe side, I made sure that I had my Poliwhirl on my team before leaving. Better safe than sorry, after all. Besides, it wasn't like we'd all be able to ride on Aaron's Nidoqueen when we got to a part that required having to surf across.

It took us a few hours to reach the entrance of the mountain, a large lake at the side. If one squinted, they'd be able to make out the vague outline of a landing, only for the large lake to continue. I gave a small wince, knowing through my past geography class that the lake was not nearly as long as the mountain, only being about half the length. Never mind the width. This was not going to be fun.

Aaron and his Meganium were the first to enter, Aaron being the only one among us who had even a vague sense of where to go. According to him, the last time that he had entered the mountain, it had taken him well over five days to get through it. We were all hoping that that wouldn't be the case this time around, but none of us dismissed the possibility. Hence the heavy stock up in Ecruteak City. With how much we all pooled in to buy, we were ready to live in the mountain for at least _two_ weeks.

We were beyond prepared.

After Aaron, Nathan entered, his Flaaffy beside him. Already the two Pokemon were lit up, using Flash without having to be asked. I was quick to follow after Nathan, Growlithe and Ampharos on either side of me, ready to go and get it over with. Neither was particularly looking forward to traveling though the mountain, either.

The pace was slow going, Aaron not wanting to make a wrong turn if he could help it by being to impatience to remember his previous journey. While I wouldn't have minded moving a bit faster, the inside of the mountain colder than I had expected, I bit my tongue to not say anything. After all, I'd also rather move slowly then end up getting lost. The less time spent in the mountain, the better.

At least there was enough light. With the combined Flashes from the gathered Pokemon, there was enough light to not only see out surroundings, but also enough so that we would be able to see if any Pokemon tried to sneak up on us. Or another Trainer for that matter.

Okay, so I still had some trust issues concerning other Trainer's; so sue me. It was better than outright hating them or refusing to have anything to do with anyone besides a Joy. After all, it'd be sorta difficult on me since all of the money that I got was from battles ending in my favor.

Nathan's voice brought me out of my thoughts; the younger boy pointing over to one of the mountain's many lakes. Not even ten minutes in, and already we were faced with having to navigate around one.

"Whoa, it looks so deep! Hey, how deep do you think it is, Sandy?" Nathan asked, his eyes wide.

I shrugged in response, not sure. Even with the light given off from our gathered Pokemon, all I could make out in the dark water was the movement of dark shadows which I took to be the Water-Type Pokemon living there. I could only hope that they were nothing to powerful. Then again, with both a Flaaffy and Ampharos out, any Water-Type wouldn't take long to handle.

Another five minute in, the first wild Pokemon wanting to battle appeared. It was a Zubat that came screeching down at us from the ceiling, heading straight for Nathan's Flaaffy. Prepared for this to happen, Growlithe and I were quick to take action.

"Roar."

Taking a deep breath, Growlithe rushed to stand before the Flaaffy, letting out her loudest Roar yet, the ferocious sound vibrating off the walls, echoing all around us and then some. I blinked, surprised, my ears ringing something fierce.

Right, sound has a habit of amplifying and rebounding in places like caves and mountain ranges. Well, I feel stupid.

Shaking my head, trying to both clear it and get rid of the ringing, I looked over to see how everyone else was fairing. The wild Zubat was long gone. At least that was something.

Ampharos and Flaaffy were both hunched over, shaking slightly. Up ahead, I saw Aaron's Meganium couched low, head swinging back and forth with eyes wide, looking as if a monster was ready to jump out and attack at any minute. Nathan had his hands clamped over his ears, his eyes closed; Aaron, much like myself, was shaking his head. He sent me an un-amused look.

I rubbed the back of my head, embarrassed. "Oops?"

Aaron rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment.

Growlithe made her way back towards me, head held high. She flashed me a grin, teeth clearly visible. I knew without a doubt that if she could speak, she'd be saying something along the lines of 'Yeah, I just did that.'

Rolling my own eyes, I made a mental note that next time a wild Pokemon come out to attack us, something that hopefully wouldn't be happening any time soon after Growlithe's Roar, I'd simply have her Bite it instead.

Much easier on the ears.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was official. Trying to sleep inside of a giant mountain was _creepy_. Between the pitch darkness, it being to the point where I couldn't even see my hand right in front of my face, to the constant dripping of water that _wouldn't stop_, to the cries of the Pokemon that made the mountain their home, sleep was hard to come by. I'm pretty sure that I was slowing going insane.

The only reason why I wasn't completely freaking out and having my Ampharos continue using Flash until she was out of energy was because of the warmth of Growlithe pressed against my stomach and chest, my arms curled around my Fire-Type for both the extra warmth and sense of protection. Add in the comforting thought that Noctowl was out, acting as lookout, and it made the fact that I was suppose to actually be _sleeping_ somewhat bearable.

The sudden sound of a Pokemon crying out made me jerk, eyes wide open, not that it helped any. If even possible, I curled even more around Growlithe, trying to reign in my wild imagination that was working against me. I was _not_ going to be attack by some vicious, extremely powerful Pokemon that wanted to eat me in the middle of the night, so _shut up_ mind.

It was like the beginning of my journey all over again. Only this time, I couldn't up and leave where I was for somewhere else. At another noise, this time the sound of moving rocks closer than I'd like, I closed my eyes in a desperate attempt of bringing on sleep.

Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep that night.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	75. Chapter Seventy Four

_**Author's Note**_: So, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter out. It's really here for one's laugh value. Hopefully, it will appeal to some of you guys. The next chapter will have the story returning to the actually, well, _story_. Hope you all enjoy reading this!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Four_

I felt my arm twitch at my side, not able to help the action. I knew that if I were to look in a reflective surface, I'd see that my eyes would be surrounded by dark circles, my eyes themselves no doubt bloodshot. Going without sleep for close to three days now did wonders to one's functioning ability. Sure, there had been hour naps here and there, but nothing longer than that.

Aaron was fairing little better, the only difference between us being that he would manage to get two-two-and-a-half hour naps. Nathan was the only one among us three humans who was actually able to sleep as if he were in a bed at a Pokemon Center; not inside a giant mountain, closed off from the outside world, surrounded by wild Pokemon, and all around paranoid.

All that kept me going at this point and not simply collapsing was knowing that if Aaron was right, we'd be reaching the exit at some point today. I'd make it to the end, but then I was going to curl up and sleep for a good day.

"Hey! You guys there!" A voice shouted out to us, making my twitch worsen, spreading to my entire left side and eye.

"I swear to all that is holy, if that's _another_ Pokemon Maniac I'm going to scream." I hissed out, eyes narrowed to where I thought the voice called from. Already we had been ambushed by five other Trainers, which of itself wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that of those five Trainers, four of them had been beyond obsessed with Pokemon. They took it to the point where they had been camping out in the mounting in order to find the rarer Pokemon that lived within the mountain. If they were all so determined to find a wild Chingling (though why in the hell one would be all the way over _here_ was beyond me) then all the power to them, but having them chase us down, question us rather rudely, only to get angry when we didn't have the answers that they wanted and in turn challenge one of us to a Pokemon battle, got old fast.

The fifth Trainer had been the only other 'normal' person we had come across, having been a roughly thirteen year old girl looking for a Machop. Not nearly as crazed as the self proclaimed Pokemon Maniacs, she had cheerfully asked for a battle from Nathan, one that had been fun for both parties.

"Sandra, you might not want to turn around." Aaron advised softly, not letting his voice carry over to the Trainer no doubt standing behind us.

Nodding sharply, I stubbornly remained where I was, glaring down the wall in front of me. On either side of me Growlithe and Ampharos moved to stand in front of me, Growlithe already growling. I did my best to turn out the talking around me, focusing my sleep deprived mind on having a staring contest with the wall.

I…wasn't exactly all there at the time. Again, nearly three days without sleep does things to one's mind.

When I couldn't help it any longer and blinked, I growled. "Damn you." I swear that a portion of the rock wall came to life long enough to wink at me before becoming inanimate once more. I gave one slow blink, rubbing at my burning eyes. I really needed to get out of the mountain.

"What did you just say to me?" Someone that wasn't either Nathan or Aaron yelled out behind me, and forgetting Aaron's pervious waning on _not_ turning around, I did just that. For a second time I gave a slow blink, once more rubbing at my eyes.

"Hey, Nathan, Aaron. I can understand the wall winking at me, it did win after all, but I don't understand this." At Nathan's confused look and Aaron's sympathetic one, I motioned to the peculiar man in front of us. "Is there really a middle aged man dressed up like a bad imitation of a big green dragon? Or am I finally starting to see things?"

"The wall did what—?" Nathan started only to be cut off by Aaron.

"Yes, Sandra, there is a middle aged man dressed up like a big green dragon." His tone was slow, making sure that I both heard him and understood.

"Oh. Good." And with that, I turned away, determined to have another go with the wall at a staring contest. I was going to win this time, damn it! My eyes narrowed, the wall coming back alive to grin at me. Just you wait and see, Wall, you wouldn't be winning this round!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Is she…well?" The dragon-dressed man asked Nathan and Aaron, the strange girl's back facing him once more.

Nathan and Aaron exchanged a look, the Pokemon around them doing the same. Almost as one, they shrugged. For the Pokemon that couldn't shrug, as in Meganium and Growlithe, they gave a huff.

The middle aged man took a moment to simply stare at the odd group before him. Between the teenage girl who talked as if the walls were alive, to the overly energetic young boy, to the assortment of Pokemon that walked amongst the group, and the green dragon-dressed men silently wondered if all of the younger generation was so odd.

"And people call _me_ weird." He muttered to himself, his previous desire for a Pokemon battle gone. He wanted to get away from as possible. Without another word towards them, he turned tail (ahem) and walked away as fast as he could without running. It wouldn't do for them to become suspicious, after all.

"Hey, where are you going? Didn't you want a battle?" He heard the youngest of the group call after him, sounding much too happy to be normal.

'_Ah, screw it'_ He thought before giving up the fast paced walk for a full out run, yelling out a line from a movie that he'd seen not so long ago. "You won't take me alive!"

Back to Nathan and Aaron, they and their Pokemon watched in shocked silence as the weird man took off in a run, yelling out a just as weird line. Take him alive? Why on earth would they want to take him in the first place?

Nathan looked up at Aaron, blinking rapidly, his face screwed up as he tried to think through what just happened. "I'm so confused."

Aaron reached over with his hand, ruffling the younger boy's hair much like Sandra was known to do.

At Nathan's put off look, Aaron grinned weakly. "Don't worry; it happens to the best of us." Nathan wrinkled his nose, clearly not pleased with the answer, but before he could comment, Aaron continued speaking.

"Now then!" He exclaimed loudly, clapping his hands together. "Let's get a'moven! The sooner we get out of here, the better!"

The youngest in the group scowled, but nodded in agreement. Mew knows Sandy wasn't feeling well. Gently taking hold of her arm, Nathan led her after Aaron, their gathered Pokemon surrounding the three humans with amused looks.

Sandy blinked down at Nathan before looking up to glance around, looking bewildered.

"Did the dragon-man leave?" She asked in a not all there tone, more distracted then anything, content at staring at the walls as they moved.

Nathan nodded, patting the teenager's arm. "Yeah, Sandy, he's gone."

"Hmm." She hummed in response, having gone back to her moving staring contest with the wall.

Nathan shook his head, leading Sandy carefully around a dip in the ground that would have otherwise tripped her. Aaron was right; the sooner they got out, the better.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	76. Chapter Seventy Five

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Five_

For the first time in a long time, Nathan was left to wonder the streets of the new city alone. While he was more than capable of doing so, it felt weird for the younger boy. Heck, he didn't even have Sandy's Growlithe to keep him company. Maybe he'd release one of his Pokemon for company…

Both Sandra and Aaron had headed straight to their separate rooms to sleep the second they had the chance. Nathan really hoped that sleeping would make Sandy feel better; he was starting to get really worried about her. Aaron had tried assuring him that she was just tired, but Nathan wasn't buying it. Even when tired, people didn't try holding conversations with walls or rocks.

Did they? Maybe he'd add stopping by the hospital to his list of things to do…

.-.-.-.-.-.

If there was one thing I hated about sleep, it was the feeling of waking up. The slow awareness that comes as one's dream begins to end, only to be replaced with reality once more.

I found myself really, _really_, hating that moment when I finally started waking up. After how long I had gone without sleep, being able to finally sleep felt like heaven. I didn't want to leave it. If I could simply sleep for the rest of the week, I would without a second thought.

The nudging at my back, though, wasn't about to be letting that happen anytime soon.

Cracking open a single eyelid, I squinted into the darkness. Registering the shapes of the furniture in my claimed room, I turned my head back as far as it would go, I vaguely made out the standing form of my Growlithe, the Pokemon being the one to nudge me awake.

"Not nice, Growl'the." I mumbled out, still half asleep, swinging a hand in her general direction. A sudden bark right next to my ear had me jumping, startling me enough to the point where I quickly found myself on the floor, blanket half wrapped around me. Letting out a pitiful moan, I had the childish urge to start screaming and crying.

Was it too much to ask for a good few days worth of sleep? I mean, really?

Growlithe jumped off the bed after me, and started to actually _prance_ around me, barking constantly. If she wanted my attention, she sure as hell got it.

"_What_?" I snapped, none too pleased with being both woken up and falling onto the floor. As Growlithe jumped to the door, still barking, the effects of sleeping for who knows how long finally hit me, full force.

I really, _really_, had to go to the bathroom.

As Growlithe gave a low whine, the Pokemon standing in front of the door with a pleading look in her eyes, I felt incredibly stupid. As if I was hit over the head, I suddenly understood why Growlithe was acting the way she was.

Smooth one, there, Sandra. Real smooth.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Fifteen minutes later, both Growlithe and I were relieved and ready to face the late afternoon. Boy did I sleep. For the time of day, the Pokemon Center was mildly busy, there being more Trainers than I was use to seeing. No doubt those coming in from Mt. Mortar.

Not seeing either Nathan or Aaron in the lobby, and not knowing their room numbers, I decided to head out instead of fight my way to talk to the Joy of the Center. Besides that, there already looked like there was a fight brewing between two of the Trainer's, and I wanted to be out of there before it actually started. I'd rather not run the risk of getting involved, thank you very much.

With Mahogany Town being so close to both the Ice Path and Lake of Rage, the climate was cooling than previous towns and cities. Thankfully, it was at least warmer then the air in Mt. Mortar.

The streets of Mahogany were neither empty nor full. There were a decent amount of people out and about, but not so many that it was hard to walk in a straight line. And with Growlithe at my side, glaring at anyone who wasn't me, walking around the town was rather nice. Having not been to the town in at least half a year now, it was nice being able to walk freely and see what had changed, what stayed the same, and what was generally going on.

When Growlithe and I reached the area where I knew the Gym to be, I was mildly surprised to see a small group surrounding the door and windows. I blinked in confusion; never had I seen that before. Sharing a glance with my Pokemon, she having noticed the larger than normal group of people as well, we oh so casually made our way over. What could I say? My curiosity got the better of me.

"—st can't believe it!" A younger girl exclaimed, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her point. She had a mix of an excited and anxious look on her face, looking from the front door of the Gym to the group around her. From my position, I counted a grand total of six different Trainers, four girls and two boys. A fair amount.

"Well, believe it. It's not like it doesn't happen, after all." Another girl drawled out, a put out look on her own face, arms crossed across her chest as she glared at the first girl. The first girl's face reddened, a scowl replacing the pervious anxious look. It would be a safe guess on my part that they weren't exactly friends.

At this point, my interest had officially been caught. Just what was going on? Whatever it was, it sounded as if it had to do something with the Gym.

Before the first girl could speak again, one of the two boys of the group spoke up, looking no older than the other's. If I had to guess, I'd say that they all looked somewhere between eleven and twelve. Then again, my ability for guessing ages wasn't always spot on.

"Yeah, besides, it was 'bout time it happened." He wrinkled his nose, motioning with one hand towards the Gym's doors. "My big sis told me that the old man was almost, like, eighty!"

The strong urge to slap my forehead happened when the pre-teens around him all made exclamations along the lines of 'No way!', 'So old!', and one very loud 'Daaaamn!' than had the rest of the kids (for that's what they were) laughing as if that was the funniest thing that they had ever heard.

"So then who, liked, replaced him?" Another of the girls asked, the group having calmed down enough to where they were no longer laughing themselves silly.

The rest of the group looked at the girl, none speaking up as none knew the answer to her question. By this point, I felt that I could make a guess as to just what they were talking about. Standing in front of the Gym, talking about who might have replaced an elderly man? It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

Pryce, the seventh Gym Leader of the circuit, of Mahogany Town, had finally retired.

Having heard enough from the group of pre-teens, I nudged Growlithe's side gently, motioning with my head to the Gym. Seeing how they didn't know the answers that I needed, I'd simply have to go to the source. After all, knowing what Nathan and I had to go up against was important. It wouldn't do to simply assume that this new Gym Leader would just follow in Pryce's footsteps, being an Ice-Type Gym Leader as well.

All assuming did was make an ass out of you and me, after all. And I didn't particularly feel like making an ass out of myself.

I let Growlithe lead the way, my Pokemon already lowered in a crouch as she walked forward; teeth bared at the group of children with a snarl aimed their way. I wasn't about to lie; watching them all scatter apart at the sound sent cold pleasure coursing through me, having found their wide eyed, opened mouth expressions beyond funny. Was I cruel, mean, and a little on the sadistic side at times? Yeah, maybe. No point in denying it. The past few day's didn't exactly help in the matter.

I followed after Growlithe, sparing some of the warier looking pre-teens a fake smile, making no attempt at having Growlithe stop her low growls. If I was to make a guess, something that I seemed to be doing a lot lately, the group of six let out a breath once I actually entered the Gym.

All at once, I was assaulted with a freezing wind biting into my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. I starting shivering not soon after, my short sleeved shirt doing little to protect my arms from the sudden cold.

Well, if nothing else, the Gym retained it near freezing temperature from when Pryce was Gym Leader.

I was met with a bundled up receptionist, the younger woman looking more than use to the temperature. She offered me a strained smile, her gloved covered hands stopping their awkward attempt at typing on the keyboard.

"Hello, and welcome to Mahogany's Gym, under the new management of Gym Leader Curtis. How may I help you?"

Huh, so Curtis was the new Gym Leader's name. In my musing, I never noticed Growlithe flinch at my side, her ears laid back at the mention of the name.

"Yeah, I was just coming by to ask about the new Gym Leader. Curious if his Type was the same as Pryce's or not."

The receptionist's strained smile returned, looking as if this was not the first time that the question had been asked of her, nor the last.

"Yes, Gym Leader Curtis' preferred Pokemon Type are Ice-Types."

I nodded, retuning her strained smile with one of my own. "Ah, thank you. That wa—"

I was interrupted by another voice yelling over mine.

"Martha! Martha, did you manage to find those papers yet?"

Within a second, the receptionist, Martha, was on her feet, fumbling with her gloved hands for something on her desk. "Yes, Curtis, I have them right here!" She called back, completely ignoring me. I let out a huff, my eyes narrowing without thinking about it at being ignored. Just as I was about to open my mouth to snap out at the older woman, the feeling of Growlithe pressed up against my side made me pause.

I glanced down at my Pokemon, bewildered at how out of character my usually fierce Pokemon was acting. Her easy were pressed against her head, head bent forward with her tail wrapped around her front paws tightly. It all aspects, it looked like she was trying her hardest _not_ to be seen.

"What the—?"

"Ah, there you are, Martha. Thanks for finding them for me, it would have driven me cra…zy…" The man speaking trailed off, I only now looking up from my Pokemon to see the fable new Gym Leader. He was younger than I thought he would be, looking only a little older than Aaron. His dark blue hair came a little past his ears, his eyes matching his hair color. He wore a plain long sleeved sweatshirt, a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck, black pants and boots completing his outfit.

None of that really caught my attention, though. What did was the look he was giving my Growlithe, my Pokemon still in the same position.

"Well, I'll be." He said softly, looking up from Growlithe only long enough to give me a curious look before turning his attention back to my Pokemon. "If it isn't my old Growlithe."

Wait, what?

.-.-.-.-.-.


	77. Chapter Seventy Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Six_

I stared at the Gym Leader, Curtis, in shock. _This_ man had been Growlithe's first Trainer? _This_ was the man that had abandoned Growlithe, only for the Pokemon to be passed around from Trainer to Trainer, and then almost put down? Was it because of this man that Growlithe hated humans in the first place? Was he the one to break the usually loyal Pokémon's faith in human kind, leaving it to fend for itself?

Without warning, I felt an ungodly amount of rage and hatred for the man standing before me. It didn't help matters that Growlithe was still pressed up against my legs, refusing to raise her head. I felt my hands clench into tight fists without my consent, my fingernails digging into my palms. My anger as starting to get the best of me, something that only worsened my feelings.

Damn it all.

Without thinking it through, I opened my mouth and instead of cussing the man out like I wanted, I instead took the higher route amongst Trainers.

"Battle me." My words were clipped, as cold as the temperature in the building.

Me speaking brought Curtis out of his own silent musing, bringing his attention from my shaken Growlithe to me. As it should be.

He stared at me blankly for a second, as if processing my words before giving a nod, an easy going smile appearing on his face. My hand twitched. I wanted nothing more than to go over and smack it off.

"Very well. Do I get to know the name of the Trainer that now has my Growlithe, or do I get to remain in the dark?"

If I had fur, I knew without a doubt that it'd be bristling right about now. _His_ Growlithe? Like hell Growlithe was his!

"Sandra." I snapped out, and I could help the snarl that replaced my previous blank face, my eyes narrowed into slits.

He held his hands up as if in surrender, his smile turning slightly mocking. "Hey, now, no need to get angry."

This time, I kept my mouth shut, settling for simply glaring instead. I wasn't about to give him anymore satisfaction by acting on my anger.

"Good." He softly said, lowering his arms. "Now then, lets' head over to the arena, shall we? Mustn't delay out battle any longer, after all."

I gave a sharp nod, not trusting myself enough to speak just yet. I followed after him when he turned, the previously forgotten receptionist, Martha, glaring at me as I pass. I returned it ten-fold, enough to make her flinch back and avoid eye contact with a scowl.

At my side Growlithe slinked along, her head still down. I spared a moment to reach down just enough so that I could run my fingers gently through her fun, hating to see my strong Pokemon like this. At my touch, Growlithe lifted her head, looking at me with blank eyes. I stopped my walking, not caring if I fell behind the Gym Leader. For the moment, all that I cared about was my Pokemon.

I crouch down so that I was eye level with her, one hand running the length of her back while the other softly rubbed behind on ear. I whispered to her softly, looking to comfort her as well as I could.

"Hey, now, love." I started, not thinking twice about calling a Pokemon love. "This isn't like you. Where's that fire of yours? The passion? Are you trying to tell me that after all of this, after all that's happened, you're just going to stop trying? That you're not going to fight?" However slowly, my words seemed to be working on Growlithe, my Pokémon's eyes hardening, regaining their life's spark. Her near constant look of determination slowly came back, her posture no longer hunched over, but once more standing tall, proud.

I gave her a loving smile, all of my previous anger, my rage, pushed aside. She was much more important to me than any pity anger. All of my Pokemon were. It was a thought, a revelation, which I welcomed with opened arms. I wasn't about to deny it; I loved my Pokemon.

Bringing my head forward, I rested it on top of Growlithe's, both of my hands on either side of her head. We stayed like that for a few seconds, simply taking comfort in one another's presence. When I leaned back, I gave her a smirk of a grin, eyes spelling mischief.

"Let's show him just how powerful you've become. Show him just how far you've come since we've been together. Make the rest of his Pokemon weak compared to us." I gave her ear and back one last scratch before standing just as proudly as my Pokemon beside me. "Let's go kick his ass."

Growlithe responded with a single sharp bark, flashing me her mouth full of teeth. She was ready.

.-.-.-.-.-.

She walked proudly beside her human, head high, eyes sharp. No longer would she live in the past. That man, her first Master, had deserted her, leaving her without a word in the care of the pink-haired one; she had come to terms with that a long time ago. At least, she thought that she had.

Seeing him again, after what felt like a lifetime, it was harder than Growlithe thought it would be. When he had forsaken her, left her, she had been so sure that she'd never have to see him again. Never have to confront him for what he did.

The scar on her side hurt just thinking about it, it bringing up memories that she'd have rather forgotten. That damn scar, the mock battle that caused it; the reason why she was left in the first place. Memories that she wanted to desperately forget. To put behind her once and for all.

It had been hard, of that there was no doubt. Moving on with life. In the beginning, she was sure that she would never be able to forgive the human race. For if her master, the one person who she had put all of her trust in, would leave her, what was to say that others wouldn't? What was to keep anyone else from doing what he did?

She had been so sure, _so sure_, that she'd be forced to spend the rest of her days trapped within her Pokeball, never to be let out again unless it was to be forced to another human. They had the gall that think that she'd simply _roll over_ and _listen_ to their every command, that she'd put her blind trust in them.

How wrong they were. How stupidly _foolish_ they all were. No longer would she bow before a human. No longer would she be willing to give her love to one. That day, the day she was so cruelly left behind, she lost all faith; all love, for the human race.

Growlithe had been prepared to die.

And then came along the human Sandra. Her human; her Mistress. Her salvation.

She was different from the other humans. Different from her original Master. A good different, the sort of different that slowly healed her wounds without Growlithe even realizing it until they were gone. Her chest no longer ached, her mind thought of other things besides her fist Master's betrayal. Growlithe was able to finally move one.

Growlithe found companions, _friends_, amongst her human's other Pokemon. She had a spot where she belonged. She was _wanted_, she was _cherished_. And over time, she was _loved_.

Yes, her Mistress was certainly different than her former master. With her Mistress, she was given time to train, not just thrown in to battle against stronger opponents. She was shown new moves to fight with, was given time to relax when needed, and most importantly, able to freely walk outside of her Pokeball. No more were there nightmares of being forever trapped. Forever locked away from the outside world, never to breath fresh air.

Growlithe finally, after a long time, felt as if she were _free_.

She owed much to her Mistress. Her life. Her power. Even her friends. Growlithe never had friends before, when with her former Master. She was always the odd one out, the sole Fire-Type amongst his team of Ice-Types. But no more.

So no, Growlithe would not allow herself to fall into her old behavior around _that_ human. She would no longer bow to him, his Pokemon. She would show him, she would show them all. She had a new Mistress now, and as such, was not about to fail her. She would put everything she had into this up and coming fight; put all of her power into it. No longer was she the weak Growlithe that _he_ had caught on a whim, only to be left behind when she couldn't stand against one of his Pokemon, leaving her with a scar on her side. A reminder. Always a reminder.

With a snap of her teeth, Growlithe stood proudly beside her Mistress, her human, glaring at the man that had discarded her. She would show him. Just he wait. She'd show him.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	78. Chapter Seventy Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

**Author's Note**: So, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Especially towards the end. Hope you all like it as much as I do. I tried something different for the battle, which you all will be able to pick up on. Let me know if you all like it or not. Depending on the feedback, I might do it again in the future. You know, if it fits that is.

_Chapter Seventy Seven_

I stared down the man known as Curtis, hands clenching and unclenching at my sides. I had to let my anger go before the battle started, or else I ran the risk of losing my focus, making a mistake. For me, as well as Growlithe, it was no longer a battle for a Gym Badge. This time, things were personal.

I shared a brief look with Growlithe, wanting to make sure that she was still okay. She looked as proud as ever, head and tail high as she stared down Curtis as well. I had no reason to worry anymore. Whatever had her in a funk, she as out of it and rearing to go. I nodded to myself, pleased.

We could do this.

"This is a Gym Battle between Gym Leader Curtis and Challenger Sandra! It will be four against four, the person with the last Pokemon standing winning!" The referee called out, bringing down his two flags with a called out 'Begin!'

I waited for Curtis to release his first Pokemon, intending to go from there. While I could have simply sent in Growlithe right off the bat, I didn't want to have to rely on her for the entire four matches. No, I'd wait either until the final two, or until she voiced her want to battle. No doubt, seeing how this was her first Trainer, there were a few of his Pokemon that she'd know and want to battle herself. At least, that was what I was going to assume.

When his first Pokemon appeared, being that of a Jynx of all things, I looked at Growlithe curiously. At her shake of a head, I nodded more to myself than her as I reached for another Pokemon to take on the Jynx. Knowing that Jynx was both an Ice and Psychic-Type, I decided to forgo using Gengar, instead going for Ampharos.

Curtis looked mildly surprised at my choice of Pokemon, having no doubt expected that I'd simply use Growlithe, or at least a Pokemon that had a Type advantage over his. Who needed an obvious Type advantage, though, when moves worked just as well.

Wanting to start things off right, I called out my first attack, making Curtis regret not having moved first. I wasn't about to waste any time playing around.

"Thunder Wave."

The Jynx let out a cry, successfully paralyzed.

"Jynx, Fake Tears!"

I scoffed at the move, though my Ampharos looked uncertain, looking back at me questioningly as the Jynx began crying large tears. I shook my head at Ampharos.

"Iron Tail."

"Counter with Ice Punch!"

I tsk'ed. The two attacks met, and even though the Iron Tail did damage to the Jynx, it didn't do nearly as much as it would have unopposed. I was just lucky that the move didn't exactly effect Ampharos, the Ice move doing little damage to my Pokemon.

"Now Jynx, use Ice Beam!"

Crap, crap, crap! _That_ might bring in some damage for Ampharos.

"Use another Thunder Wave, then ThunderPunch." Hopefully, another Thunder Wave would keep the Jynx from using Ice Beam.

With my fingers crossed, I watched anxiously as Ampharos let loose another Thunder Wave, nearly jumping up and down in joy as my sloppy plan worked, the move giving enough of a shock to the other Pokémon's muscles to keep it from moving, much less from finishing the Ice Beam.

With the Jynx unmoving, Ampharos was able to deliver a full on ThunderPunch to the other's face, sending it rocketing back with a cry of pain. I watched to see if the Pokemon would be getting back up, an Iron Tail on the tip of my tongue in case that was the case. The Jynx let out a groan, making an attempt at standing, only for its muscles to spasm, sending it crashing back down onto the floor, unmoving. It couldn't get back up even if it wanted to. I saw it glare at Ampharos and me, a look which I returned.

That was enough for the referee, the man calling the match in my favor. At the announcement, I let out a breath, my stance relaxing just the slightest. Good; one down, three to go.

Curtis was quick in recalling his fallen Pokemon, replacing it with his next one. Once it appeared, I eyed it with a critical eye, mentally going through my list of Pokemon that would have a better chance against the Piloswine than Ampharos. Given the Pokémon's part Ground-Type, any electric moves were automatically void. Seeing how Ampharos' moves were for a major part composed of such moves, leaving only a handful of others, I decided to just switch her out.

Also, this way, I could come back to her if need be.

Mind made up, I shared another quick look with Growlithe before returning Ampharos, switching in my Poliwhirl instead. What would have been an advantage over my Ampharos was going to quickly become the Piloswine's bane against my Poliwhirl.

And from the look on Curtis' face, he knew it as well. His disgruntled look only served to make me grin.

As soon as the referee called the start to the second match, both Curtis and I called out our orders. Looked like he wasn't about to let me go first again if he could help it.

"Surf."

"Endure!"

Smart man. Then again, not just anyone could become a Gym Leader. Not that I actually knew the process that one had to go through in order to be such. For all I knew, one might just need a place to call a Gym and a Badge design…

The power tidal wave hit the Piloswine head on, the Pokemon staying strong through it all despite the pain and wear it was causing. By the end of the attack, it looked ready to collapse upon itself, but kept standing none the less. Another hit from Poliwhirl, and the fight would be over.

"Water Gun."

This time it was Curtis who let out an annoyed tsk, the man giving a deep frown as he watch the Water Gun connect with his Pokemon, the Piloswine letting out a moan of pain before falling.

How's that for Type advantage?

As he returned his second fallen Pokemon, I couldn't help the grin. That had to have been the easiest Gym match one of my Pokemon had the pleasure of going through, which was nice. Two down, two to go. If only they were all like that.

At the release of the Gym Leader's third Pokemon, I heard Growlithe let out a low growl down beside me, my Pokemon eyeing the cheery looking Delibird with a glare and snarl.

Well, then, that settled who was going next.

I was quick in returning Poliwhirl, offering the Pokemon a just as quick thank you, before nodding at Growlithe. My Pokemon wasted no more time in leaping forward, crouching down low as she eyed the other Pokemon. At the sudden appearance of my Pokemon, having not taken her into account before, the Delibird gave a shocked sounding noise, jerking back in surprise.

Curtis simply eyed my Pokemon blankly once again, not looking nearly as worried about her as he had with my Poliwhirl against his Piloswine. Once again my hands clench in anger. That bastard, writing off Growlithe as if she could do no harm to his Pokemon. Just he wait.

Once the Delibird got over it's shock, it replaced it's previous easy going attitude with that of a mocking one. I wasn't the only one peeved at this, Growlithe letting lose another low, ominous growl with teeth bared and hackles raised that actually had the other Pokemon, and even Curtis, look at her in vague surprise.

I gave a smirk of a grin that closely resembled Gengar's.

When the referee called the third match to a start, once again both Curtis and I called out our moved at the same time.

"Rain Dance!"

"Roar into a Fire Fang."

With a smooth transgression that spoke of a well practiced action, Growlithe let out a fierce roar, already running towards the other Pokemon with a mouth full of fire making the Delibird fly backwards in a panic, having not yet cast the Rain Dance.

The Delibird attempted flying higher in order to avoid the attack, but no such lick as Growlithe followed with a powerful jump, mouth open and ready to bite down on the Delibird. She managed to catch the Pokemon around its bag like tail, dragging the Delibird back down towards the ground.

The second they hit the ground I was calling my next move, giving the Delibird no time to recover, much less allow Curtis time to call out his own. A quick glance in his direction showed him with his mouth slightly opened, eyes wide. Looks like he wasn't expecting Growlithe able to move like _that_.

"Flame Burst."

Needless to say, having a Flame Burst at point blank range had the opposing Delibird out in seconds, Growlithe left panting lightly after all was said and done, standing over the unconscious bird with a pleased look in her eyes. Now _there_ was the Growlithe I knew.

Only one left.

Curtis didn't even wait for the referee to call the match, returning his third downed Pokemon with a blank look on his face, his eyes still on Growlithe. I wasn't going to lie; having him looking at my Pokemon like that for so long was starting to get to me. I didn't like that look of his directed at Growlithe on little bit.

Without so much of a noise, Curtis released his final Pokemon, one that had me blinking in surprise at, Growlithe snarling and snapping at, and Curtis giving the barest hint of a smile.

It was a Weavile, the evolved form of Sneasel. At that moment and desire to evolve my own Sneasel died on the spot.

.-.-.-.-.-.

She couldn't help it. Growlithe felt the growl grow in the back of her throat, her lips pulling back into a snarl the moment her previous master let out _that_ Pokemon.

Oh how Growlithe hated _that_ Pokemon. It was because of _him_ that Growlithe had been left in the first place; the reason for her scar on her side. Without thought Growlithe let out the growl that was growing in the back of her throat, the fire inside her burning hotter than it had ever burned before.

This, _this_ is what she had been waiting for. A rematch. A chance to even the scores. To show that she was no longer the weak little Growlithe that she had been so long ago.

At the human man's words of the match to begin, Growlithe found herself anxious, nearly jumping into action at her Mistress' commands. Her body moved on its own, no though needed. All those hours of practice, all of those previous battles, victories, had honed her body to where it was now. Now, now all Growlithe needed was to hear the move, and she'd react without a second thought.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, Growlithe placed all of her trust into her Trainer, knowing that she'd lead her to victory.

"Come at me, baby Growlithe! Nothing you do will be able to defeat _me_! How about I give you another, matching scar, eh? See how much that human of yours will like you then!"

Not paying any attention to the Weavile's Taunt, Growlithe threw everything she had into a Flame Burst. She felt herself give another snap of frustration as the Weavile neatly dodged the move, laughing cruelly the whole time.

"Finally learn an actual Fire move, eh, little Growlithe? No matter, that won't help you here!" The Weavile cried out with a wide grin, sharp claws shining from the move Hone Claws before Weavile came at her with a Night Slash.

Growlithe felt her body move on its own, dodging the attack aimed at her head with only a small amount of difficulty. At the missed attack, Weavile dropped his gloating look to let out a snarl of his own, switching over for Fury Swipes. While able to dodge most of them, Growlithe felt her chest hit, drawing forth pain that made her want to flinch at. It was only through her sheer willpower that she didn't give in and do just that.

She wasn't about to appear weak in front of _him_.

At her Mistress' command, Growlithe felt her mouth fill with fire, mouth opening wide as she lunged at the surprised Weavile, it too close to get away in time from her Fire Fang. Weavile let out a howl of pain as Growlithe latched onto the other Pokémon's shoulder, biting for all she was worth. She let go though, when her Mistress called for her to jump back, just barely missing Weavile's second night Slash, swiping where Growlithe had just stood.

The two glared at one another fiercely, Weavile breathing heavily while Growlithe was only lightly panting. They were only a few feet from one another.

At her old Mater's command, Weavile began forming an Ice Beam, once more grinning at Growlithe, though with not nearly as much cruelty behind it as before. Now, now there was a weary look behind Weavile's eyes, a look that made Growlithe pleased. Very pleased.

Before her Mistress could give her a command, Growlithe felt a fire at the back of her throat, similar to what an Ember felt like, only stronger. _Much_ stronger. Acting on instinct, ignoring her Mistress' words of dodging for the first time, she opened her mouth and let out the fire in the back of her throat, the same time that Weavile released his Ice Beam.

The two powerful moves connected, the space between Growlithe and Weavile leaving little room for them. Before any of them knew it, an explosion went off, sending the two Pokemon hurtling backwards at the sheer power of it.

Growlithe felt herself connect painfully with the ground, rolling a few just as painful times before finally coming to a stop. Black spots danced in her vision, her body heavy, but she still felt every painful twitch, her front let shoulder and chest hurting the most.

With a slow blink, she felt warm, soft, hands running through her fun, and with a start she found that her hearing was partially gone from the loud sound of the explosion, only able to make out vague sounds from her Mistress above her. Growlithe gave a pleased noise from the back of her throat, it no longer burning with fire. She felt her stiff body relax under her Mistress' hands, soothed by her voice even if she couldn't make out the words that she was saying.

She gave a glance across the battle field, looking for Weavile. There was no sight of him, making her feel even more pleased. She did it; she finally did it. She defeated the Pokemon that had been haunting her dreams; help in defeating the man that had abandoned. She had won.

For the first time in a long time, Growlithe greeted the darkness that came with sleep openly. She had no more reasons to fear it. No, not anymore.

She had won.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I retuned Growlithe to her Pokeball once she fell unconscious, a small smile tugging at my lips. Seeing her look serene, so peaceful, made me happy for my Pokemon. I was only just now realizing just how important this had been for her. I had been beyond amazed when she had countered that Ice Beam with a Flamethrower, awed at how even through the explosion, she had hung on till the very end, where as the Weavile had come out of it unconscious.

Never had I been more proud of my Pokemon as I was then.

I stood from my kneeling position, losing my smile as I faced the lightly frowning Curtis. He eyed my silently, arms crossed over his chest tightly, the only other sign that he wasn't exactly pleased. The urge to rub salt in his wounds appeared, but I bit my tongue. I had already won; anything more would just be childish of me.

Finally, after what felt like hours of having a staring contest with the older man, his stance relaxed, frown replaced with an easy going smile.

"I don't suppose that I'd be able to talk you into giving me back that Growlithe, would I?" He asked of so carelessly, already knowing the answer that I'd give as I gave him a foul look.

"No; no there's chance."

He shrugged his shoulders, reaching a hand into his pocket before holding up a small Badge. With a disdainful sniff, I made my way over towards him, being none to kind as I snatch the Badge from his hand. With a jerky nod, I tuned on my heels and made to leave.

"Good luck, _Sandra_, on earning your final Badge." He called out from behind me, and I could just picture a smirk on his face.

Bastard. He was nothing but a bastard.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	79. Chapter Seventy Eight

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Eight_

It wasn't until I had returned to the Pokemon Center, having handed over my Pokemon for healing, did it hit that I had just won my seventh Badge. That I only have to win one more before I had all eight and my journey would be over.

The thought hit me full force, making me take a shaky seat while I waited for either my Pokemon to be healed or until Nathan and Aaron arrived. Whichever came first, really. Where had all the time gone? One second I was lost in a forest, not having even made it to my second city with just a Nidoran, and the next I was had the Mahogany Badge pinned to the collar of my shirt like a trophy.

It served as a healthy wakeup up call for me. Before I knew it, I'd be in Blackthorn, going up against Clair.

I didn't know how I honestly felt about that.

I shook my head, rubbing my forehead. Now wasn't the time, or the place, to be thinking such thoughts. I still had _some_ time to think about what was to come. Now, I needed to call my parents. It was time to get my DS back.

.-.-.-.-.-.

I grinned as I hung up the phone. My mother had been the one to pick up, like usual, and had been ecstatic about my latest Badge. She had assured me that my DS would reach me by tomorrow afternoon given how close we were to one another. I couldn't wait.

Standing, I stretched out lightly, feeling good. No doubt Nathan would be a bit (or a lot) peeved that I had taken on and won my seventh Badge without him there, much less knowing about it, but I figured that he'd get over it fast enough. I could even give him tips on the Pokemon that would be used; since I doubted that Aaron would be aware of them given how new Curtis was to the position.

Just as I had finished thinking that thought, my name was called by Nurse Joy. I accepted my Pokemon back with a polite 'Thank you' and released Growlithe from her Great Ball, much to her delight, only for Nathan to come walking in with a big book in front of his face. I blinked in surprise, the sight a new one for me.

Was that a medical book…?

"Hey, Nathan." I called out to him, catching the younger boy's attention. "What'cha reading there?"

In response, Nathan lowered his large book and looked me up and down with a sharp look, as if looking for an abnormality of some kind. I simply raised an eyebrow in question.

"Do you suffer from headaches, Sandy? Blurry eyes? Dizziness?" His tone was what I would expect of a doctor. I found it both funny and curious.

"No. No, I can't say that I do for any of those. Why?" Might as well play along.

"Hmm." Was all Nathan said, going back to his book with new vigor. "Don't worry, Sandy, I've figure it out."

"Figure _what_ out?" I asked slowly, really curious now. Was I missing something here?

Nathan just walked past me, heading towards one of the Center's lounge chairs. I watched him go, now more curious than ever. Just what was up with him?

I shook my head again; no point in asking questions when he was so occupied. I doubt even telling him about my victory would snap him out of what he was doing. Oh well.

I looked down to Growlithe, sharing a smile with her, before heading to sit across from Nathan, my Pokemon laying down at my side. Might as well take the time to call my friends. It would do well to tell them that I'd be coming home soon, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Aaron had joined us half an hour later, at which point Nathan had gone from reading to asking me questions about my health, referring to the large medical book every couple of minutes. I was luckily already done talking to my friends, having promised them that I'd call them again when I made it through Ice Path, so I didn't mind the questions so much.

If anything, they were amusing. Even more so watching Nathan play doctor. All he needed was a white lab coat, a clipboard, and a stuck up attitude and he'd be set.

The oldest amongst us gave me a questioning look, silently asking just what was going on. Good; I wasn't the only one who didn't know why Nathan was acting like he was. Maybe he wanted to become a doctor instead of a Pokemon Trainer…?

I shrugged my shoulders at Aaron, offering him a sorry smile. He shrugged his own shoulder in response, taking up a seat next to Nathan to look over his shoulder at the open medical book. Maybe he'd be able to find out what was up with Nathan.

"So no night flashes, muscle spasms, pain, or black spots." Nathan counted off on his fingers as he went, his nose and eyebrows scrunched up as he talked. "And you don't black out, lose feeling in any of your limbs at times, or have hot sweats." He gave a huff, throwing his hands in the air.

"Then I have no idea what's wrong with you!"

"Nathan," I started slowly, "nothing is wrong with me. When did you even get that idea?"

The younger boy sniffed as he crossed his arms. "You were talking to walls, Sandy, _walls_. You acted like something was there, like someone was there talking back to you."

I blinked, surprised. Was he still going on about that? Did he not understand that I was sleep deprived? I looked over to a just as confused looking Aaron, giving him a questioning look. Didn't he say anything to Nathan?

Now Aaron's own eyebrows were scrunched together, the older man looking at Nathan as if _he_ was the one that had something wrong with him.

"Nathan, it's just like I told you earlier. Sandra was tired; she hadn't slept for a couple days in a row. She was just a little delusional."

Wow, thanks, Aaron. Make me sound great, there.

"So… nothing's wrong with Sandy, then? She really was just tired?" Nathan asked, looking back and forth between Aaron and me. We both nodded, though my face was warm from embarrassment. "Oh."

We were all quiet for a minute, not knowing what else to say to one another. Aaron because he just didn't speak much, Nathan because he was fiddling with his not useless medical book, and me because I was trying to forget about my whole 'talking to the walls' episode.

Then, without warning, Nathan cried out, pointing at me.

"Is that the Mahogany Badge?"

Huh. About time he noticed.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	80. Chapter Seventy Nine

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Seventy Nine_

When it came for Nathan to go up against the Gym Leader, I had voted to stay behind. Even if I had already beaten him, I didn't think I would be able to face him again without letting my tongue loose. It would be safer for all of us if I simply stayed behind. When Nathan asked for my reason, I kept it to myself. I didn't feel that Growlithe would appreciate me telling either Nathan or Aaron that Curtis was her first Trainer.

That, and I didn't want to bring us what happened, or how I acted. Even if I didn't lash out, it was still not my best behavior. I wouldn't be much of an older sister figure for Nathan if I just acted on my thoughts all the time.

While not happy, they had both accepted my answer, to which both Growlithe and I were thankful for. I waved them off, wishing Nathan good luck with a smile that was a bit more forced than normal. Neither noticed.

With them gone, I heaved a sigh, shaking my head. Already we had been in town for four days not, my DS to arrive sometime this afternoon. If Nathan was properly prepared, having told him what to expect when facing Curtis, he'd win the Badge and we'd be able to leave either today or tomorrow. Our supplies were already stocked, Aaron having gone shopping yesterday while I had been battling the Gym Leader and Nathan was off learning to be a doctor, so we didn't have to worry about that. It really did rest on whether or not Nathan won his Badge today.

Rubbing the back of my head, I turned, intending to go back to my room. With how close we all were to facing Clair, we needed to be as ready as possible. Who knew what she'd have us do to earn her Badge. With Clair, one could never know. She was known lately to battle the challenging Trainers differently each time. Some would have to have a full six on six battles, while others would have to do double battles. It all seemed to depend on how she was felling that day. Something about getting board with her challengers…

I gripped the Pokeball that held Nidorino. More and more had I been thinking about using the Moon Stone that my parents had given me so long ago to evolve my Starter. As things were, he knew quite a few moves, so I didn't have to exactly worry about evolving him so soon that he wouldn't be able to learn an important move. Sure, there would be some that he would be missing out on if I were to evolve him right now, but they were moves that I could have him learn later. Besides, when I faced Clair, I would need all of my Pokemon as powerful as they could be, and evolution was a great power boost.

Besides, if what my Pokedex said was true, when Nidorino evolved into a Nidoking, he'd have the chance to learn moves that he'd only be able to learn in that form. Not to mention that he'd be able to finally use the move Iron Tail. That, and Surf, much like Aaron's Nidoqueen.

Without even realizing it, I found myself in my room, Growlithe curled up on top of the blanket at my side, my hand running down her back. Blinking, I shook myself figuratively. Blanking out was not good; if Nathan caught me doing such a thing, he'd no doubt bring back out that monster of a book of his to find out what was wrong with me again. Not something that I needed. The first time was cute; a second time? Not so much.

I looked over at my bag, picturing the Moon Stone in my mind's eye. Should I…? If I did, should I wait for Nathan and Aaron to return first? I'd imagine that Nathan would be rather put out if he wasn't there to watch Nidorino evolve into his final form. That, and I would prefer if Aaron was there seeing how he would know how this whole evolution by stone worked.

Then there was the matter on what I was going to do about Poliwhirl, Seadra, and Growlithe. They all also needed items to evolve into their final forms. Did they even _want_ to evolve, though? I never have actually asked them. The only reason that I knew Nidorino wanted to evolve was because I told him that I had the stone that would allow him to do such and he'd been beyond overjoyed about it, being in a good mood for days afterwards.

But how would the others feel about evolving? Especially Growlithe; I couldn't exactly have her out all the time if she was a large Arcanine after all. That would be just too much.

I looked over at my dozing Growlithe. Now wasn't exactly the best time to ask. Maybe I'd just wait until after Nidorino evolve; see how the rest of my Pokemon felt then. And who knew, maybe Aaron would be willing to either lend me some of his evolutionary items, or could show me where to find some.

Mind made up, I laid back on my bed next to Growlithe, throwing an arm over my eyes to block out the light. A nap sounded mighty good…

.-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't the pounding on the door that woke me, but Growlithe growling. I peeked out from behind my arm, mind still half awake. Not that it lasted long.

"Hey, come on Sandy! Wake up! I won, I won, and I got a really cool prize, too! _Sandy_…!" Nathan. Without a doubt. The mention of Nathan winning a prize thought caught my attention. What could Curtis have possibly given Nathan? Though finding out that Nathan got something while I didn't wasn't all that surprising.

Giving a huff, I forced my body up, rubbing at my eyes as I made my way to the door, unlocking it for Nathan to come barreling in, Aaron behind him with an amused look. I nodded to the older man while Nathan jumped around my room, going on and on about his 'epic' battle against the Gym Leader. I did my best to pay attention to him, by my focus still wasn't all there just yet. Nonetheless I nodded at all the right moments, smiling a lot, and congratulated Nathan when he was done.

All I actually caught was that he used his Ditto, Golem, and Feraligatr. There might have been an Arbok mentioned in there somewhere, but don't trust my word for the moment. Aaron seemed to get what I was going through as he shook his head, a grin on his face that he tried to casually hide so Nathan wouldn't see. I glared at him weakly in return.

When Nathan got to the part after the battle, I found myself paying more attention.

"—and so after he returned his Weavile, he not only gave me a Badge, but a TM!" What? The Gym Leader, Curtis, gave Nathan a _TM_? "Yeah, I know, right? He said something about how it would help when Aaron and I went up against Clair!" Here he paused long enough to ruffle through his bag, quick in pulling out a small light blue disk, holding it up proudly. "It's the move Icy Wind! Isn't that so cool?"

I nodded slowly, looking over the TM. Why a Gym Leader would just give one away, I didn't understand given their prices, but I wasn't about to complain. Maybe I was the only one who didn't like Curtis because of his past with Growlithe's past; maybe it was a common thing for him to have out TM's to Trainer's that beat him, I just wasn't one for obvious reasons. Whatever the reason, I was just glad that Nathan was able to get it.

Now, at least, we all stood that much better of a chance against Clair.

.-.-.-.-.-.

My DS arrived an hour later, by which point it was already a little after four. Since it would take a couple hours to make it through the Icy Path, and that was if we were careful, the three of us decided to simply wait until the next morning to leave. No point in rushing things, after all. In the mean time, the three of us put our heads together, already starting to make plans for when we had to face off against Clair.

The first thing that I did, though, was bring out Nidorino and get my Moon Stone. Once Aaron and Nathan found out what I was planning, Aaron offered to tell me the simply steps of using an Evolution Stone (simply having the Pokemon touch it), while Nathan was giddy about watching. I had been right to wait.

Before I knew it, Nidorino was glowing that brilliant, blinding, white, slowly changing form from a short Nidorino to a much larger, taller, Nidoking. Once the whole process was done and over with, my newly evolved Pokemon let a monster of a roar, thrashing his new tail around like no tomorrow.

Yeah, my Starter was happy.

With my Nidorino now a Nidoking, I brought out my Poliwhirl and Seadra to talk to them, as well as Growlithe, about how they felt about evolving. Poliwhirl was all for it, pumping his fists together while letting out a cry of his own. Seadra looked mildly apprehensive, but got over it quickly once I told her that not only would her power increase, but her size. Add in her Type change, going from Water to both Water and Dragon, and my Seadra was all for evolving once more.

Growlithe, though, was not in the same mind frame as the other two. I had to tell her that if she wanted to evolve, in some cases she'd have to go back into her Pokeball. Such as when we reached a Pokemon Center. No longer would she just be able to walk in with me and go with the Joy to be healed. There were also some places that didn't allow large Pokemon, where as a Growlithe she would be allowed in with me with no problem. It would be a big change for Growlithe, and as such I didn't rush her when making the decision.

With that little talk out of the way, we all moved onto learning new moves all around. Aaron offered to teach my Nidoking how to Surf, while Nathan and I gathered up all the current Pokemon that could learn Icy Wind. When those who could learn it did, Aaron pulled out his own small collection of TM's and HM's and we sat down, going through those. I was a bit peeved to find that he had the TM for Thunderbolt, but got over it quickly when it allowed my Pokemon to learn from it. He didn't have many; much less Ice-Types as those (and Dragon-Types) were some of the hardest to come by. It took a lot of money to buy just one.

Of course. No surprise there.

So once going through his small collection (we only ended up using the TM's for Thunderbolt, Earthquake, and Rock Slide, all powerful in their own right), we started brainstorming how we could make enough money to purchase a TM like Ice Beam or Blizzard, some of the most powerful Ice-Type moves out there. Any Dragon-Type moves were pushed aside, as not many Pokemon could learn such moves without being at least part Dragon, and for those that could tented to not have the best control for at least a few weeks of constant practicing. So we focused on Ice.

If we were to do it the old fashion way, as in battle Trainer's for winnings, it'd take at least a month to earn enough for _one_ TM, much less a couple. The possibility of selling one of Aaron's TM's was thrown out as an option, but it was more of an 'if nothing else' sort of move. The idea of taking part in a competition for money was discarded once we found out that the closest such competition was _two_ months away, not a time period that any of us wanted to wait for.

And then, it hit me.

I had a bag full of Ultra Balls. A bag full of _fifteen_ Ultra Balls to be exact. I never got around to using any of them, always able to simply use a regular Pokeball or Dusk Ball when I needed to catch a Pokemon. And at this point in my journey, it was unlikely that I would anytime soon, too. So why not _sell_ them for something that I _could_ use?

I felt like hitting my head for not thinking of them sooner.

Nathan actually did once I brought it up. Aaron just covered his face with his hands, shaking it lightly. Yeah, we were smart all right.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	81. Chapter Eighty

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty_

We left Mahogany Town the next morning, a bag of Ultra Balls lighter, but two TM's richer. While Mahogany didn't actually have a Poke Mart, it did have the internet. Internet is such a glorious thing.

It hadn't taken long to find a few different contenders who were willing to give up a TM or two for the chance of having fifteen Ultra Balls in return. From what Aaron said, six of the Ultra Balls were easily worth that of a TM, much less fifteen. In just an hour and a half, we found one Trainer, an older boy between Aaron's and my age, who was willing to trade his two TM's (Ice Beam and Hail) for my Ultra Balls. Another two hours later, the Trainer having been surprisingly close by to Mahogany, and the trade was complete.

By then the sun had already set, the moon taking its place in the sky, so we saved teaching out Pokemon the moves till morning, wanting them to learn them before we hit the road. With our gathered Pokemon now knowing three different Ice-Type moves, we all felt more comfortable with the future challenge against Clair.

With the Pokemon that could now knowing how to use Ice Beam and Hail, Aaron surprised both Nathan and I by logging onto his Trainer account and changing out two of his Pokemon.

"Wait, wait, wait just a minute!" Nathan exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Aaron as he clipped the two new Pokeballs onto his belt. "You have other Pokemon?"

Instead of being insulted or annoyed at Nathan's question, Aaron only looked amused.

"Of course I do. You do, don't you? I actually have quite a few, if you really want to know. I've just been focusing on my Meganium, Slowbro, Nidoqueen, Scizor, Magmar, and Jynx these past few weeks. That doesn't mean that I don't have other Pokemon, though." Here, he shrugged, leaving my blinking in my surprise.

Nathan looked just as confused. "But-but, then why haven't you been switching them out like Sandy and me?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Because I train differently than you and Sandra." And that was all Aaron had to say on the matter, no matter how much Nathan questioned him. I just shrugged it off; it had just been a surprise, after seeing Aaron with the same six Pokemon since I met him.

We didn't actually get to see the two Pokemon that Aaron had switched into his team, much less the ones that were gone, until we stopped for lunch just outside the Icy Path. It had taken a few hours to reach since we all stopped to face other Trainers along the way, looking for any lest minute training that we could get in. Given, a majority of the challenges were against Nathan, but Aaron and I did our part.

I think it was safe to say that both Nathan and I were anxious to see just what Pokemon Aaron had been storing away for so long. As for my present Pokemon, there was of course Noctowl, Nidoking, and Growlithe, as well as Raticate, Poliwhirl, and Sandslash.

Nathan, on the other hand, had with him his Feraligatr, Ditto, Golem, Gengar, Misdreavus, and Duskull. I had no doubt that in time, Nathan would have a full-or nearly full given Feraligatr-team of Ghost-Types.

And then there was Aaron's team. His Meganium, Nidoqueen, Magmar, and Jynx remained the same; his Slowbro and Scizor (_finally_) were gone. In their place was the largest Crobat that I've ever seen, and an oddly colored Electrode. Instead of the regular red and white coloring, Aaron's Electrode had blue where the red should have been.

Is this what some consider to be shiny?

At the sight of the oddly colored Electrode, Nathan's eyes grew the widest that I've ever seen them, seemingly at a lost for words as he pointed at the grinning Pokemon. I saw Aaron let out a small sigh, shaking his head as he watched Nathan's reaction.

"And this is part of the reason why I _don't_ take my Electrode out much." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that and it's joy of exploding whenever it gets the chance." Aaron said softer, but I still caught it, making me and most of the other Pokemon present look at either him or his Electrode in caution. Nidoking even went so far as to stand in front of me, one of his ears twitching as he stared down the rolling Electrode, the Pokemon circling Aaron.

I bite my tongue to keep from asking if having such a Pokemon out and about was a good idea, much less safe, if it was prone to exploding on occasion.

Nathan was still pointing and staring at the Electrode.

The urge to hit my head against something was back. How I resisted this time around, not even I knew.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So let me get this straight." I started, Nathan, Aaron, and I sitting in a circle with our many Pokemon either surrounding us or off hunting. "Your Crobat is your second ever Pokemon, but you've been keeping it in storage so that you could build up a team with more variety, even though it's one of your more powerful Pokemon." At this, Aaron nodded. I nodded in return, crossing my arms as I thought out loud all that he told Nathan and me.

"As for your Electrode, you found it in an old, abandoned, and partially destroyed Team Rocket hideout a while back. Besides being a sought after Pokemon because of its… abnormal coloring, you've been keeping it in storage because it has a habit of blowing up when out of battle. In turn, you thought it would be a good idea to teach it Thunder and Thunderbolt, only for the Electrode to make bigger explosions." I gave him a pointed look, one that spoke clearly of what I thought of him at the moment.

Aaron both shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head, making me want nothing more than to throw my hands up in the air and admit defeat.

"It's gotten better." Was Aaron's own defense. "After having it learn Charge Beam, it's control really has gotten better. It no longer self-destructs unless I tell it to. And, its aim has gotten better; two birds for one stone, really."

"Yeah," I said slowly, not fully believing him until I saw such, "okay." Here I turned to Nathan, the younger boy looking over at Aaron with wide eyes. "Nathan," I waited until I had his full attention before continuing, "no playing with Aaron's Electrode."

Nathan, sweet, innocent, _naïve_, Nathan actually _pouted_. I held fast, giving him a look similar a mother would give to her wayward child. He crossed him arms, gave a weak glare, but nodded in the end. Pleased, I gave another stern look towards Aaron, silently telling him to not let Nathan play with his Pokemon. I gave a tight smile when he also nodded, though he didn't look nearly as pleased as me. Maybe since I wasn't simply taking his word about his Pokemon being 'safe', but I wasn't about to risk Nathan's life just to appease to the older man's pride.

Yeah, not about to happen any time soon. I wasn't about to be the one to tell his parents that he was killed because he wanted to play with a known-to-explode Pokemon.

.-.-.-.-.-.

With lunch over, my friends called, and many of our Pokemon aback in their Pokeballs, we made our way into the Icy Path, jackets and gloves on. Growlithe was at the ready, as well as Aaron's Magmar. To be on the safe side, Aaron's Meganium was out as well, ready to either fight or use the move Flash if need be.

Not even a dozen steps in and one could feel the drop in temperature, ice coating the walls while further ahead there were actual icicles formed. Nathan's previous grumbles about having to wear such a hot jacket were dropped, the youngest of the group not looking thankful that I had made him wear it.

Aaron was in the lead, his two Pokemon up with him, with Nathan in the middle, while Growlithe and I were in the back. While I could technically be the one leading us through the pass, I wasn't about to do such only to make a wrong turn when we got farther in. After all, it has been a while since I last had to go through the Icy Path, and that was with my parents there to lead me.

Thankfully, the Ice Path wasn't nearly as maze like, or as long/deep as Mt. Mortar. So instead of taking three days, it should only take an hour to get through. Two if we got turned around.

As we traveled, we came across only a few other Trainer's, and they were more occupied with getting out unfrozen then they were about battling one of us. Well, that or trying to find a certain Pokemon. More than not, it was the elusive Sneasel. Well, that or a Jynx. I spared a brief moment to find the amusement that Aaron had a Jynx while I had a Sneasel, the two most sought after Pokemon in the cave.

For the few wild Pokemon that we came across, mostly Zubats, Golbats, and Swinubs, either Growlithe or Magmar took care of them. Meganium was out light source, the crystals and icicles growing in the cave taking in the light to bounce it back, making the light given off more than enough to light out way. All in all, the cave was how I remembered it to be; cold yet quick to get through.

We were out in under an hour, if only by a few minutes. Not nearly as bad as Mt. Mortar, in my opinion.

A half an hour walk later and we reached Blackthorn City; the home to the last Gym Leader, as well as my home.

The joy.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: So, was anyone surprised about Blackthorn being Sandra's home? I feel these past few chapters I've been giving hints towards it, but did anyone catch on? Maybe I just suck at the whole 'foreshadowing' thing…

Almost done! Oh no! If I had to guess, I'd say that are maybe a little under 7 chapters left, though don't hold my word to that number. Thank you, everyone, for sticking with me this far. I hope that you all can continue this last leg of my story. It's been a fun story to write, and I hope that you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Well, until next time,

~Nana


	82. Chapter Eighty One

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty One_

We weren't in town for even a minute before a loud '_There!_' was heard, it being all the warning that I got before getting tackled at the side. Before I knew it I was on the ground, head spinning, with a body on top of me, noise all around me.

Not even a second later was the body off of me, a scream piercing the air followed quickly by rapid barking. All the noise made my already pounding head ache just that much more. I swear, if I got a concussion _now_, I was not going to be happy.

Then there was a hand grabbing at my arm, trying to pull me up. I was pretty sure that there was some words said as well, but my brain just wasn't up to processing them at the moment. Even if I didn't quite understand just what was going on, I took advantage of the help offered to me and tried my best at standing. When I opened my eyes, they cleared just enough for me to make out Nathan's worried face. I offered him a weak smile, my head pounding something fierce as I tried my best to regain my sense of balance. Would the world please stop spinning?

Looking over to my side, where all of the noise was being made, I was met with the sight of Growlithe growling and snapping her sharp teeth, Aaron at her side. He looked to be talking, no doubt trying to defuse the situation. And then I noticed just _who_ Growlithe was snapping at and Aaron was talking to.

My two 'best' friends, Kristine and Amie.

At the moment, Kristine was busy glaring at my Growlithe, hiding half behind Amie who was speaking with Aaron, also glaring as well as frowning. Her hands were on her hips, looking far from pleased. None one looked pleased, for that matter.

Even though it wasn't the best situation to do so, I was silently amazed to find just how little my friends had stayed the same since I last saw them. Kristine still had her mid-back length beach blonde hair, still having too much eyeliner around her eyes, and her clothes remained those of a pair of cut-off short and a tee-shirt. Amie, at least, did something different. Her dark red hair went from being the same length as Kristine's to being closer to my own hair length, just brushing her shoulders. Besides that, though, she looked nearly exactly the same. Still wore washed out blue jeans and black vest over her long sleeved white shirt, the color mix making my eyes hurt.

Compared to them, I felt like a whole new person. Why, again, did I always hang out with them…?

"Bad Pokemon! Stop that insistent barking this very second! Bad!" Kristine said sharply, waving a hand at my Growlithe with a look that would kill if it could.

Ah, that's right. It was because they were the only other ones in my age group who hated Pokemon as much as I did, if not more so. I blinked slowly at the thought, amazed to have forgotten such a fact. Have I really changed that much…?

I shrugged my shoulders, pushing the thought to the back of my mind to think about when my head wasn't throwing a temper tantrum hard enough to make me cringe. Yeah, enough thinking for the time being, thanks.

"—on't care who you say you are, Sandra is _our_ friend, and there's _no way_ that that _Pokemon_ is hers! She may have been forced into becoming a Pokemon Trainer of all things, but there's just no way that she'd own a _Growlithe_! So just put it back into its Pokeball where it belongs!" Amie was shouting at Aaron, Growlithe now glaring at the other girl as she gave a low growl that had smarter Pokemon and people backing up in caution. Clearly, she was not pleased by what Amie had said. I didn't blame her, either.

Aaron stood with his arms crossed tightly, eyes narrowed, his patience waning quickly by the looks of things. "And I keep telling _you_ that that Growlithe _does_ belong to Sandra. She is, as you just said, a _Pokemon Trainer_, after all. As such, it's common for there to be Pokemon."

Just when it looked like Amie was ready to fire back another, less polite, remark, I stepped in with a weary sigh.

"That's enough, Growlithe." All attention snapped to me, Nathan still at my side with his hands on my arm to offer support if needed. Growlithe gave me a reproachful look, but obeyed, quieting her growl as she made her way over to my side. I didn't miss the spiteful look my Pokemon aimed at my two friends, both of who looked like I had betrayed them in the worst possible way. Which, I guess to them, I did.

Aaron just gave Amie a pointed look that might as well have said 'I told you so', not that she saw. No, she was much too busy glaring at me. I rolled my eyes. Sure missed my friends.

"Oh stop being so dramatic, Kristine, Amie. You both knew that this was coming. What did you expect to happen? Me to come home with no Pokemon?"

Amie just gave a sniff, looking away from me with arms crossed, not saying a word. It was a look that I've come to recognize as her 'You-may-be-right-but-I'm-not-going-to-say-such'. Kristine, on the other hand, slowly came out from behind Amie, reaching up to fix her hair as she looked in the opposite direction of Growlithe.

"Oh course we knew, but we never thought that you'd have a Pokemon like a _Growlithe_. At the very least you could have more well behaved Pokemon that aren't likely to attack you, much less others." Kristine said as if I was once more to blame for the whole situation.

And all the while my head continued to pound, refusing to lessen. It made thinking of comebacks difficult, much to my displeasure. All I wanted was to head home and crawl into my long forgotten bed. Was that too much to ask for after spending these last few months sleeping out in the wild?

I gave a sigh as I rubbed my temples.

"Yeah, okay, whatever. I really need to be getting home. See my parents and all that." I said with little emotion. Amie and Kristine were once again glaring at me, Amie with her arms crossed while Kristine's hands were on her hips.

"So, what, you're just going to leave now? We haven't seen you in months and you're just going to ditch us again?" Kristine demanded, Amie nodding her head in agreement.

I gave them a blank stare, one that Aaron shared. First they hated me and my Pokemon, but now they were getting mad for me not wanting to catch up on old times? Wow, okay, I really need better, less confusing friends.

Is this why guys were always going on about not understanding girls? If so, I actually found myself agreeing, even if I was a female myself. Man, did I need to lie down.

I just shook my head at my supposed friends. This was not the reunion that I had had in mind when I had called them up. Then again, if I was to be honest with myself, this was always going to be the outcome the moment I had decided that I was going to be keeping my Pokemon with my after my journey. My two friends might have understood why I needed Pokemon during my journey, but there was just no way that they'd understand why I planned on keeping them after all was said and done with.

Well, if anything, my parents were going to be happy.

"Sorry Amie, Kristine, but I'm really not in the mood right not. My head is killing me after someone thought it'd be fun to tackle me to the ground." I gave them both a pointed look, Kristine being the one to look away with reddened cheeks. The question on who did the tackling was answered.

"Yeah, fine. Be that way; see if we care." Was Amie's response. "Just know that until you get rid of those beasts that you call Pokemon, we won't be seeing much of each other." She gave a sniff, as if she smelled something unpleasant.

"My heart's breaking. Really, it is." I said with as much sarcasm as possible. Which is to say, a hell of a lot. I even did the dramatic pose of placing a hand over my heart, eyes wide.

They both gave furious looks, Amie's face reddening much like Kristine's. My previous friend opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Instead she shut it, opened it again, only to once again shut it.

Well hot damn, I just made someone too furious to speak. If there was ever a Kodak moment, this would be it.

I head a badly concealed laugh at my side. I looked over quickly, wanting to commit Amie's and Kristine's faces to memory. I was met with the sight of Nathan pressing a hand to his mouth, eyes tearing up in his suppressed amusement. I just flashed him a wicked grin before looking back to a glaring Amie and Kristine. Despite the splitting headache, I raised an eyebrow at them like nothing was wrong, making them both huff before turning on their heels, walking away from my little group.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Just walk away.

As soon as they were out of sight Nathan uncovered his mouth, letting out his bottled up laughter. Even Aaron let out a small chuckle, his stance relaxing. On my other side, Growlithe let out a huff of her own, head turned towards the side at an upward angle. If she could speak, I held no doubt in my mind that she'd be sharing my previous thought.

Who needed people like Amie and Kristine when I had friends like Nathan and Aaron, not to mention Pokemon with more attitude then any of them combined at times? Please, I was set for life.

.-.-.-.-.-.

My house was just as I remembered it to be, something that had me smiling in pleasure. Now this was one thing that I was glad remained the same.

Nathan and Aaron trailed behind me as I made my way up to the front door, silently wondering if I should have called my parent to let them know that I was coming home. Or at this point, in town. Oh well, too late now. Opening the door, I let Growlithe in first before following, leaving the door open for Nathan and Aaron.

"Wow, Sandy. You have a really nice place." Nathan said as he looked around the living room area, it being off to the side of the front door. Aaron was standing next to the door, silent as always, with Growlithe sniffing around the living room's floor. No doubt she was smelling my parents Pokemon. The question of where they all were popped up, but I pushed it to the back of my mind for the moment. I'd have more than enough time to play referee amongst the Pokemon later.

"Thanks." I replied distantly, walking ahead towards the kitchen. Cupping my mouth with my hands, I inhaled a large breath before yelling out, "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

There was a pause, then a sudden thud on the floor from above. The sound of pounding footsteps could be heard not long after making their way towards the stairs.

"Sandra, is that you? Welcome home!" My mom cried out, coming down the stairs at a run with a wide grin, my dad at her heels with a just as big grin.

I didn't even get to answer before I was engulfed in a double hug, my mom cooing in delight while my dad was congratulating me, going on and on about how proud he was. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to escape their grasp until they decided to let go, I resigned myself to being hugged to near death. I was just glad that these hugs didn't end with me on the ground, head pounding.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Growlithe looking at my parents with narrowed eyes, her posture stiff. She wasn't growing or baring her teeth, which was rather good for her. Although it would be amusing to see her do such with my parents…

Finally I was released from my parent's hold, my mom holding me at arms length.

"Well, look at you." She started, my father standing behind her with his arms clasped behind his back. "My eldest, all grown up." She gave a fake sniff, removing one hand to wipe at her eye. "And I was sure that this day would never come; you standing before me with seven badges and a team full of Pokemon at your side."

I rolled my eyes, not able to help the small smile. "Good to know that I'm only considered grown up because of my Pokemon and badge count." I half joked. Nathan gave a half-hidden laugh somewhere over my shoulder, it being all that was needed for my parent's focus to change from me to him. Within seconds my mom and dad was on either side of Nathan, my dad shaking his hand while my mom was gushing over just how cute he was.

He sent me a pleading look, his eyes wide, but I just smiled at him in a fashion similar to my Gengar. My dad looked up and towards me, his mouth open, only for him to freeze. His eyes narrowed at something behind me, his open mouth shutting and turning into a frown. I blinked in confusion before something very important hit me.

My parents still didn't know that I was not only traveling with Nathan, but Aaron as well. And Aaron was standing behind me, next to the door.

Well, crap.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	83. Chapter Eighty Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Two_

I watched the scene before me with dazed eyes. How was this even possible?

One second, my dad looked ready to blow his top, and the next, he and Aaron were talking as if old friends that hadn't seen each other in months. The last time that I had brought home a boy (I had been thirteen, and we were assigned to do a project together for school), my dad had glared, threatened, and generally made him feel so uncomfortable to the point that he'd requested another partner to the teacher.

Well, this just settled it. Never again was I going to underestimate the male bonding power that is known as _baseball_. Who knew?

"Sandra! Can you come in here and help with lunch?" I heard my mom call out, snapping me from my daze. Blinking, I shook my head and stood, sparing one last glance at my dad and Aaron before heading towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

On my way I passed the sliding door that led to our backward, Nathan's laugh sounding as he played with all of our Pokemon, my parents included. The only one who remained indoors was Growlithe, who was currently trailing after me. She had refused to go out and join the other's, preferring to stay with me. My parents had been more than willing to allow such, finding the act endearing.

Well, Growlithe and Electrode were the only two not outside, the Electrode still within its Pokeball. Thankfully.

Taking a moment to look out the window, I couldn't help but smile at the sight. At the moment, Nathan looked like he was playing tag of all things with the Pokemon. From my view point I could see my Nidoking sitting off to the side, more content to watch then to actually play, Aaron's Nidoqueen opposite of my Pokemon. The rest of them, though, looked to be having a ball of a time.

I shook my head as I laughed lightly at the sight of my Noctowl dropping out of the sky to tag Aaron's Jynx, the Pokemon letting out a cry of outrage before turning her sights on Nathan's Feraligatr. My parents Pokemon, the Xatu, Aipom, Donphan, Shuckle, and Sudowoodo belong to my dad, with the Ledian, Bellossom, and Poliwrath belonging to my mom, were running around just as much as our Pokemon, fitting in quite well.

"Sandra!" My mom called out again, a hint of impatience in her tone.

I turned away from the sliding door with a roll of my eyes, heading once more towards the kitchen. Oh, the fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So you three plan on going up against Clair soon?" My dad asked over lunch, the five of us sitting out in the backyard with the Pokemon. The three of us nodded our heads, but Nathan was the one amongst us to actually respond with words. I would have, since they were my parents and all, but I was much too busy enjoying my mom's famous home style potato salad. It had been much too long.

"Yep!" Nathan chirped around his own food. "We were thinking about challenging her tomorrow."

"Well," my mom started, "that should be fun to watch."

I'm pretty sure that I nearly choked on that last bite.

After having a coughing fit, I looked at my mom with wide teary eyes. "What do you that it'll be fun to watch?"

My mom gave me a small grin that just about screamed mischief. "Come now, Sandra, you didn't expect us to miss your last battle, did you? What kind of parents would we be if we did?"

I had nothing to say to that. No witty comeback, no sarcastic remark, or even an eye roll. Although that last one was tempting.

"Besides," my dad cut in, setting down his half eaten sandwich, "I've been looking forward to seeing you in battle since you first left!"

I shifted in my seat, dropping the spoon for my potato salad on the plate with a small huff. I was no longer hungry. "Yeah, yeah. Not like I could have stopped you two from coming anyways." I grumbled more than anything, not that the idea of my parents coming to watch my final gym battle bothered me. It was more of the fact that I was slightly worried about _not_ winning and them seeing such. Clair, after all, was not known for being the strongest Gym Leader for nothing.

"Hey Sandy." Nathan piped up after taking a sip of his lemonade. "If your mom and dad want to see you battle so much, why don't you and Aaron just have another battle?" He asked in the way that only he could. "I never got to see your guy's first battle, anyways."

We all started at Nathan, our expressions varying from person to person. Mine was rather blank, but my dad looked beyond excited. Mom just looked interested, while Aaron looked as if he was thinking it over.

Well, looks like I wouldn't be getting a choice in the matter. A battle against Aaron did sound interesting, though. Hopefully my Pokemon had improved since the first time we went against one another. Truth be told, I'd even settle for a tie against the older, more experienced Trainer.

Heaving a small sigh, hoping that I wouldn't regret it, I silently nodded my head in consent. Nathan grinned, almost as widely as my dad, while Aaron just nodded as well, my mom now even smiling.

So much for a peaceful afternoon.

.-.-.-.-.-.

We stood across from one another just off my parent's property, their large backyard only just barely in view. No point in risking damaging the house, after all, if it could be avoided. My mom and Nathan stood off to the side of our chosen battle field, my dad standing in the place where a referee normally would. With his hands raised in the air he looked an awful lot like one, if one only added a black and white striped shirt.

"This battle is between Sandra McKnight and Aaron Lockewright! It will be a full six-on-six battle, the Trainer with the most Pokemon standing the winner!" My dad bellowed out. Yeah, he was having _way_ to much fun acting as the referee. "Switching out Pokemon will _not_ be allowed at anytime of the battle! Once a Pokemon is selected, it is to continue battling until it is either defeated or withdrawn by the Trainer! If withdrawn, the Pokemon cannot be sent back into battle!"

Both Aaron and I stared one another down with narrowed eyes at that sudden rule. We'd both have to be careful, then, about just what Pokemon we selected.

"Select your first Pokemon!" My dad called out, making my mind go into a frenzy. I mentally pictured my six current Pokemon, as well as thinking of Aaron's. I'd have to be careful in my choosing, even more so than normal.

Eventually, though, I reached for a Pokeball and enlarged it, not giving myself enough time to second guess my choice. If I did that, I'd be there all day trying to decide on which Pokemon to use. Aaron also reached for a Pokeball, holding it at the ready. We both turned towards my dad.

Bringing down his hands, he called out a loud, "Begin!" In an instant, Aaron and I released out first Pokemon. Not even a second later did my Poliwhirl stand before me, and Aaron's Crobat fly before him. Well, damn. At least with his other Pokemon, I had an idea of what they could do. With his Crobat, I was next to clueless.

Smart of him; bad for me.

"Cross Poison, Crobat." Aaron ordered calmly, taking advantage of my pause. It was a move that had my silently cursing.

"Dodge it then Ice Beam." I tried to counter, but I was much too late. I watched with narrowed eyes as the Crobat landed its ordered attack with speed that had my pulse pick up. It wouldn't make an easy target to hit, much less dodge attacks from.

Even with the powerful poison attack, Poliwhirl was back on his feet, though at a slower rate. At least he didn't look poisoned. With a glare, my Pokemon started up an Ice Beam, taking aim for the moving Crobat. It didn't help matters that the other Pokemon was zipping around through the air, not staying in one place for long. Even then, Poliwhirl let loose his Ice Beam, not one to be discouraged while in battle.

"Dodge."

I gritted my teeth as the Crobat dodged the Ice Beam with ease, the attack flying past harmlessly overhead.

"Now use Air Cutter." Aaron commanded, his Pokemon setting out to comply in an instant.

Thinking fast, knowing that it was very doubtful that Poliwhirl would be able to dodge in time, I set out for a way to counter.

"Surf!" I couldn't help but yell out, shifting from foot to foot as I anxiously waited to see if my plan would work. With only seconds to spar, Poliwhirl summoned a large wave in front of him, though that was all he was able to manage before the Crobat unleashed its own attack. It wasn't the best defense, but it was better than nothing.

The wall of water exploded backwards in a large spray, Poliwhirl getting showered, but otherwise, unharmed. I gave a shaky smile before focusing back on the battle. Time to go on the offense.

"Hail." I said with a grin. Aaron made sure that I saw him roll his eyes as Poliwhirl brought forth a hail storm. Much to my pleasure, the Crobat let out a shriek as it tried to dodge around the pelting hail. Not even its speed allowed that, though, both Pokemon getting hit. If anything, the Crobat had it worse since it looked to be flying straight into the hail, not to mention its weakness to Ice. Given, the Hail didn't exactly do much damage wise, but it worked well as a distraction.

"Now Ice Beam." I ordered again, hoping that this time it would actually land. I had to resist giving a scream of frustration when once again, even with the Hail acting as a distraction, the Crobat managed to dodge the attack. Well, then, I'd just have to change tactics.

"Confuse Ray." Aaron called out to his Pokemon.

Well, damn.

"Now finish things with one last Cross Poison."

I called out for Poliwhirl to dodge, but my confused Pokemon was much more interested in starting at his hands then listening. The Crobat's attack landed dead on, throwing my Pokemon back. I winced in sympathy as Poliwhirl lat out a pained moan. It his confused, and no doubt now poisoned state, he didn't even attempt to get back up, the last of the Hail hitting his form.

With a deep breath, I returned my Pokemon.

Aaron – 1. Me – 0.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	84. Chapter Eighty Three

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Three_

I tried to not let Poliwhirl's rather easy defeat get to me. Instead, I kept telling myself that at least now, I had an idea of what to expect from Aaron's second Pokemon. With narrowed eyes and a huff, I reached for my next Pokemon. If this was going to be a battle of speed, why not also make it a battle of 'Second Pokemon Caught'? While not as fast as Aaron's Crobat, my Raticate was my fastest Pokemon. If anyone stood a chance against Crobat (besides Ampharos, who I didn't have on me), it would be Raticate.

Well, that, and Raticate knew a certain move that I was hoping would finished the match off as quickly as possible. I wasn't about to draw things out or play around in this battle.

Aaron looked surprised by my choice in Pokemon, and I took the chance to act. Revenge for earlier. By the time that his surprised look turned into that of realization, it was already too late.

"Thunderbolt." I commanded with a fierce grin. Not even Crobat's speed was able to save it, Aaron having ordered the dodge much too late. There was no doubt in my mind that Aaron's Crobat was a highly trained Pokemon, listening to Aaron's every word when in battle. That, though, turned out to be the Pokémon's downfall. The Pokemon had been _too_ well trained, _too_ use to relying on Aaron when in battle. And as such, it didn't try dodging the oncoming Thunderbolt until Aaron told it too when it could have if it still practically relied on its instincts.

The Crobat gave a few pained flaps before landing, though not out. It glared all its worth at Raticate, who returned it in equal amounts. Raticate had managed to make the other Pokemon land-bound, and we all knew it. Aaron gave a pained look, and I could tell from my position that he was fighting with himself about whether or not to return his Pokemon. I did the polite thing, not that many other Trainer's did such, and patiently waited for him to make up his mind.

I might be cold at times with others, but I liked to think that I wasn't cold hearted when it counted.

After not even half a minutes pause, Aaron lips thinned and he shook his head, lifting Crobat's Pokeball to return it. His Pokemon didn't look happy, but didn't rebel, either.

And with that, we were tied one-to-one.

Everyone was silent as Aaron returned his fallen Pokemon, his face carefully blank. Nathan looked surprised that my Pokemon had been able to take out Aaron's so quickly, my mom mirroring his expression. Sure, the Crobat was strong, but it had been in storage for who knows how long, only just recently let out again. Raticate was no push over, though, a fact that many liked to think given how little his species was seen on teams of famous Pokemon Trainers. Although many older Trainers didn't compose teams with more 'common' Pokemon, the kind of Pokemon that most end up catching when first starting out, I wasn't one of them. I knew perfectly well how capable my Raticate, a species that only 'beginners' used, was.

I wasn't about to leave him behind just because some turned their nose up at the sight of him. Especially not when his Super Fang was a force to be reckoned with if given the chance.

I was brought back to the present when Aaron unleashed his second Pokemon. I gave a scowl at seeing his grinning Magmar. Figures he would send out his Fire-Type _after_ my Poliwhirl was defeated. Oh, well. This just means that I'd have to get a little creative in my attacks.

"Confuse Ray." Aaron ordered, making my scowl intensify ten-fold.

"Dodge and Thunderbolt." I countered, not exactly wanting my Pokemon to make physical contact with the Magmar unless strictly required. I'd seen Aaron battle with his Magmar before, so I knew just how easy it was for Pokemon to get burned by contact. Which, in short, meant a lot of Thunderbolts and Ice Beams on Raticate's part.

"Dodge, Magmar."

I narrowed my eyes. So it was going to be like that, was it? Dodges all around was no fun; I'd have to change things up a bit.

"Close in with Quick Attack and Ice Beam." I called out, enjoying Aaron's surprised look. But he wasn't such an accomplished Trainer for nothing.

"Lava Plume."

I crossed my arms over my chest with a small huff, able to do nothing but watch as the Fire-based attack not only canceled out Raticate's Ice Beam, but continued on to hit my Pokemon. Since I had so stupidly sent him in to get closer, not even his speed boost from the Quick Attack could get him away in time. I had to close my eyes when Raticate let out a pained cry/screech, uncertainty starting to ebb into my mind, messing with my confidence.

I took a deep breath, only to resist the urge to gag at the smell of burnt fur. Covering my nose and mouth with my left hand, my right hand reached for Raticate's Pokeball. My eyes now once more open, I was met with the site of my Raticate hunched over even more so than usual, he might as well having been on all fours. His previous brown fur was now a darkened black, his whiskers near nonexistent. One eye was closed, the other narrowed into a glare at the Magmar. Aaron's face was carefully blank.

Now, it was my turn to think on whether or not I wanted to return my Pokemon or not. Unlike Aaron, though, it only took a seconds thought before I decided that yes, I did. There was no way I could expect Raticate to battle for me in his current condition. That'd not only be cruel, but the makings of a bad Trainer. I cared too much for Raticate to do that to him in any case.

Before I could return him, though, he turned around to face me fully and hissed, actually _hissed_, at me with his one narrowed eye. I felt myself jerk back in surprise, eye wide, the hand holding up his Pokeball falling limply at my side. With one last look, he turned back to face Magmar. His message was clear; painfully so.

He still wanted to fight, and was likely to be unforgiving it I returned him. If it had been any other Pokemon, I would have returned them regardless, knowing that they'd get over it. But, Raticate… With a disbelieving shake of my head and hand not holding Raticate's Pokeball pressed against my eyes, I felt the insane urge to laugh at the sheer insanity of it all.

"Fine then, you stubborn Pokemon of mine." I mumbled out, removing my hand so that I could see again. I tried to ignore the smell of burnt fur, something easier said than done, and focused back on the battle. "Super Fang."

We all just watched as Raticate stumbled his way over towards the suddenly hesitant looking Magmar, Aaron's face still blank. I had the vague suspicion that he understood why I had decided to keep Raticate out, and if only a little, approved. It helped settle my mind just that much more, knowing that I might have made the right decision.

When Raticate was only a few feet away, Aaron opened his mouth. To say what, I don't know, as all of a sudden, with a burst of speed that none of us were expecting, Raticate launched himself forward at the surprised Magmar, latching onto where his shoulder and neck met with all he was worth. Magmar let out a howl of pain, flailing its arms around madly while it stumbled backwards. When it got enough sense of mind back, it attempted to rip my Pokemon off, though it only served to make its wound worse by tearing it open even more. And all the while, my mouth was hanging open, Aaron matching my look with one of his own, his previous blank face long gone. It would have been an understatement to say that we were surprised.

In seconds, though, we both snapped out of it when Magmar let loose another pained howl, having tripped in its mad attempts of getting Raticate off. Aaron started yelling out orders to his panicking Pokemon, while I called out for Raticate to let keep hanging on as long as he could. It didn't take much longer, however, for both my Raticate to tire and for Magmar to get in another good hit, dislodging my Pokemon from it finally.

The second my Pokemon hit the ground, I was running to him at a sprint, my bag in hand. Growlithe, who had been silently sitting by my side like always throughout the battle, ran ahead of me, reaching the barley conscious Raticate first. She snarled at Magmar, who respectfully stepped back towards Aaron who was silently watching as I dropped down next to my Pokemon. I ignored my mom and dad who came up behind me at a jog to see how Raticate was, and Nathan who was asking questions that I didn't exactly care enough about at the moment to process, much less stop what I was doing to think of a response.

With a steady hand that I didn't think was possible, I opened my bag and rooted around for a Hyper Potion and Burn Heals. While I couldn't _fully_ heal my Pokemon, I could at the very least help ease his pain and help speed up the healing process until I could get him to a Pokemon Center. When my dad knelt down to help me, I sent him a grateful look, to which he simply smiled in return. If there was one subject that my dad knew well, it was how to take care of Pokemon. In no time at all, my Raticate was healed to the best of our combined abilities and returned to his Pokemon, having fell unconscious not long after my dad started to help.

I stood with a sigh, rubbing at my forehead. The previous small amount of guilt that had ebbed its way into my mind grew, spreading its roots and picking away at my confidence. As if knowing what I was thinking, and he no doubt did, my dad gave my shoulder a pat while my mom offering a small smile. Nathan just looked up at me with wide eyes, looking to have taken no offense when I ignored him earlier. When I looked over to Aaron, he too gave a small, remorseful smile. I gave a small smile back, slightly nodding my head. It would be pointless to get mad at Aaron for doing what Trainers were meant to do in battles.

Once everyone retook their spots, I paused to think about my next move. Having lost two Pokemon compared to Aaron's one, I wasn't about to just pick any random Pokemon. Eyeing his Magmar, I couldn't help but be thankful for the damage that Raticate had managed to do. Like I said before, a Raticate's Super Fang was a hell of a move. If I played my cards right, I could have the Magmar down and out in a few well placed moves. As long as I chose the right Pokemon for the job, that is.

I spared a glance down at Growlithe, and while I would have liked to have saver her to go up against Aaron's Meganium, it just couldn't be helped. At this point, she would be my only Pokemon who wouldn't have to worry about getting burned because of physical contact.

"Growlithe," she looked up at me, looking like she already knew what I was going to do but waited for me to speak anyways, "your turn." Giving a huff and a full body shake, she stepped into our deemed arena. The two Fire-Types stared one another down, an action that Aaron and I copied. If one didn't know we were actually friends, we'd look like hated enemies.

"Begin!" My dad called out. Neither of us wasted any time in calling out our selected orders.

"Confuse Ray then Headbutt."

"Take Down into Bite."

I gave a 'tsk' as Growlithe was hit with the Confuse Ray, only to grin when my Pokemon continued her charge into the winded Magmar, sending them both to the ground. That was where my luck ended, though. At that point, the Confuse Ray took full effect, leaving Growlithe in a dizzy mess on the ground while the Magmar slowly got back to its feet with a glare at my Pokemon. Without a second hesitation, it launched a Headbutt at my squirming Pokemon who was more focused on trying to paw at the sky on her back then get away.

Even confused, Growlithe's instincts kicked in at the sudden attack and she lashed out in her confused state with a Bite, latching onto the closest body part of Magmar, which just happened to be the same should that Raticate had so aggressively attacked only moments before. Magmar let out a cry of pain. In seconds Growlithe released its shoulder, confusion once more takings its hold on her, but the damage was done.

As Growlithe wobbly got to her feet to start chasing her tail with a yip, Magmar fell back, its uninjured hand pressed against its wounded shoulder. It looked down for the count. I didn't know whether to be proud of my Pokemon or to cover my face as Growlithe continued to act like a newborn pup. Who knew that when confused, she reverted back to her puppy age?

Across from me Aaron returned Magmar with a shake of his head and a small disbelieving smile. Neither of us was quite expecting the outcome to happen just that way, after all. Oh well, that just meant another victory for me. We were once again tied, now two-for-two. At this rate, not only was this going to be a long battle, but the victor was still unclear.

I was just happy that I was able to keep up this time around.

As Aaron went about choosing his third Pokemon, I gave a sigh as I looked over Growlithe. With confusion, the effects could end up lasting for as long as ten minutes, or as short as one. It always varied from Pokemon to Pokemon, as well as the strength of the attack. As things were at present, the chances of Growlithe's confusion wearing off were slim. Unless, of course, I returned her. Then she'd be fine, just no longer able to fight.

Decisions, decisions. Always so many decisions one can make when in battle.

In the end, I decided to keep her in, in the hope that the effects of confusion would ware off sooner than later. Aaron, too, made his next decision Pokemon wise. With a critical eye I watched as he released his third Pokemon, letting out a breath at the sight of his Nidoqueen.

Well, damn. If I knew Aaron as well as I thought I did, he was no doubt going to end up ordering for Surf. That would be a problem for Growlithe sane, much less confused. Of course, I wasn't about to just give up, either.

The second my dad's hands were back at his sides and the last syllable of 'begin' was said; I cried out to my Growlithe in the hopes of breaking through to her. I'd probably only have one chance at landing an attack, so I had to make it count.

"Flamethrower, Growlithe!"

I held my breath when she lifter her head, hope building in my chest that my voice had gotten through to her in her confused haze, it growing when she stood to face Nidoqueen—only for it to be crushed when she let out a bark, tail wagging madly. I didn't even bother trying to resist covering my face with my hands. When I heard Aaron call for a Surf, I heaved a deep sigh, trying my best to calm down. I removed my hands just in time to see Growlithe hit by the overpowering wave of water, yipping like a newborn puppy in distress. I returned her without hesitation. No point in making her suffer in her condition.

On the sidelines, I heard Nathan exclaim out in a huff, "Geeze, they're just going back and forth!"

Shaking my head, I switched Growlithe's Pokeball for my next choice. While I could just go with my Nidoking, like how we first battled, I was in this to win it. I had faith in my Pokemon, of course, but in such a battle, I felt like it would be better to go with a Pokemon that knew for a fact could cause some serious damage, if not knock out, Aaron's Nidoqueen.

With a toss, I released my next Pokemon, Aaron look vaguely surprised at my choice. He was no doubt expecting for me to send out my Nidoking, too. Good to know that I was capable of surprising him.

With a battle cry, my Sandslash assumed his fighting stance; the spikes that made up his back raised and his clawed paws scratching against the ground as he eyes his opponent. Nidoqueen responded in kind, letting out a roar of her own as she bent forward in a charging position, eyes narrowed.

Once again, like all of the previous times, the moment that my dad said to begin, Aaron and I were off giving commands.

"Earthquake."

"Surf."

Nidoqueen had a slight advantage given the fact that the water from her previous Surf was still spread out on the ground, so it took less time for her to gather it back into one massive wave once more. My Sandslash wasn't about to be outdone, though. Especially not by one of Aaron's Pokémon's. So while Nidoqueen was busy summoning her great tidal wave, Sandslash was preparing one of his strongest Earthquakes.

In a span of four seconds, the two moves were unleashed.

The force of Sandslash's Earthquake had me falling to my knees to keep from falling over, an action that everyone else followed. As for the mass of water, the shaking ground actual disrupted it, breaking its form. Some still hit Sandslash, and he looked far from pleased by the action, but only a little worse for wear by the end of it.

Nidoqueen wasn't so lucky, the Pokemon taking the full effects of the move. Surf wasn't exactly a move one could use to cancel out or lessen the effects of Earthquake, like how I had done earlier against his Crobat's Air Cutter. She crashed to the shaking ground with a loud cry, the large Pokemon being tossed this way and that harshly as she tried and failed to hold herself still. It was only when the earth stopped shaking that she was given the relief of no longer being affected by the powerful move. To me, it looked as if the relief came too late.

I was polite enough to wait to see if Aaron's Nidoqueen would even be able to get back up, not wanting to harm the Pokemon even more then she already was in case she was already out. I had enough respect for Aaron to allow that; besides, I knew that he'd do the same for me. As such, we all watched as the Nidoqueen let out a moan, but made no attempt in moving. It was more than enough for Aaron, the older Trainer returning his fallen Pokemon as he sent me a nod. I returned it with a tilt of my head as I thought over our battle so far, trying to think of what Pokemon he'd send out next.

Of his team of six, he now had his Meganium, Jynx, and Electrode left. I, on the other hand, still had Sandslash, Nidoking, and Noctowl. Three gone, three left.

And the battle was just beginning.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	85. Chapter Eighty Four

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Four_

As Nathan watched them battle back and forth, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like to watch two Masters battle. He of course knew that neither Sandy or Aaron were of Mastery level, but watching them go at it like this, no other example would come to mind. They commanded their respected Pokemon with such ease and confidence, thinking up different and overpowering strategies on the fly, that Nathan couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the pair.

It was an ability that he hoped that he'd achieve one day, right next to becoming a Master of Ghost-Types. Though he knew that his own Pokemon were around the same power level as Sandy's, and maybe Aaron's, he yearned for the sheer power that their Pokemon were giving in this fight of theirs, the Pokémon's moves so powerful that they'd knock out the opposite Pokemon with a single hit. Would his own Pokemon fight so vigorously for him, putting their all into their moves, without even having to be asked?

He watched as Aaron released his powerful Meganium to go us against Sandy's intimating Sandslash, his eyes wide at the battle that ensued. He couldn't help but hold his breath when Aaron's Meganium unleashed a powerful Vine Whip, the twin vines following after Sandy's Sandslash as he attempted to evade the attack. He let his held breath out in a rush and winced at the sound that was made as Meganium's vines finally caught up with Sandslash, sending him flying with a pained cry. When Sandslash made to stand, Nathan felt for the Pokemon when, not even fully standing, Meganium once again lashed out with her vines on the Pokemon, knocking him out.

Sandy didn't look happy, if the nasty look she was sending Aaron was anything to go by. Be it because she lost another Pokemon to Aaron, or because of his Pokemon attacking her Sandslash like that was undetermined, and Nathan was left to guess as Sandy sent out her fifth Pokemon. It looked like he wasn't the only one not surprised to see that she had sent out her Noctowl to face off against Aaron's Meganium.

Noctowl was quick in flying high in the sky, circling Meganium lazily. If Nathan didn't know Sandy's Noctowl as well as he did, he'd have thought that the Pokemon could care less about the battle. Sparing a glance at Sandy's mom, he made a guess that that was just the thought that she was having as she gave a critical look at Noctowl. He'd let her find out on her own just how off she was.

Within seconds the battle was staring up, Noctowl nimbly dodging the vine whips that Meganium had set, then Noctowl blowing back the Poison Powder. When Meganium moved onto forming a Light Screen, Sandy had Noctowl take the chance and form Reflect. With a smile that looked just a little on the mad side appearing on Sandy's face, Nathan was ready for whatever crazed plan that she had formed. How he envied her ability to think up strategies on the spot like that.

He could only watch wide eyed as Noctowl drop out of the sky at a speed that would give a Pidgeot a run for their money. Next to him, he heard Sandy's mom give a low whistle in approval. As Noctowl's combined Take Down and Peck nailed the running Meganium, Nathan was sure that that particular battle was over. As such, he was surprised when Aaron's Meganium slowly got back up on wobbly legs. Noctowl was fairing slightly better, the Reflect having kicked in and lessened the damage done. Since neither Take Down nor Peck is a Special Move, though, Meganium's Light Screen didn't kick in, leaving the Pokemon to take full damage of the combined attack.

Across from Sandy Aaron shook his head in disbelief, whereas Sandy grinned quite madly.

Unexpectedly, Aaron called out for a Vine Whip, and with Noctowl so close, there was no dodging this time around. The vines wrapped around the surprised Pokémon's talons, and with a sharp tug by the last remaining strength of Meganium, Noctowl once more met the ground. Noctowl let out a screech of pain, and for a second Nathan couldn't gather why until Noctowl flopped over, her left wing bent at an awkward angle. Sandy, her father, and even Aaron was rushing forward before Noctowl gave another screech of pain, making a pathetic attempt at getting up which only resulted in Noctowl moving her broken wing. Nathan started to head over as well, but Sandy's mom clamped a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"But—!" Nathan started to protest, wanting to offer whatever little help he could, but Sandy's mom shook her head at him.

"We'll only get in the way. Let my husband help; he knows quite a bit about healing Pokemon."

Very reluctantly Nathan agreed, no longer trying to struggle against her hold.

The next few minutes were tense, Nathan shifting from foot to foot as he watched as Sandy's dad go through both Sandy's bag and Aaron's (Nathan cursed himself for not thinking of bringing along his own bag), working quickly and efficiently on Noctowl's wing. Aaron was busy helping Sandy's dad, handing him supplies when asked for and holding the Noctowl when needed. Sandy sat behind Noctowl's head, cradling Noctowl's head on her lap. Sandy's hands ran over her Pokémon's feathers, straightening them, as she spoke to Noctowl. Nathan could only guess as to what she was saying that had the previously panicky Noctowl reasonably calmed given the situation. Before he knew it Sandy was returning her Pokemon and giving Aaron a look that spoke of death.

Nathan found himself feeling bad for Sandy, as not only had her Raticate been seriously injured, but now her Noctowl as well. On the other hand, when one became a Trainer, they had to realize that Pokemon Battles didn't always resort in a Pokemon just fainting. It was why there were groups out there that protested Pokemon Battles, though they were rarely listened to.

As the three moved back to their respected spots, Nathan watched as Sandy took a deep breath, then released her last Pokemon. It was to be Starter against Starter, Sandy's final Pokemon compared to Aaron's three. Things didn't look all that good for Sandy and Nidoking, but neither were ones to give up.

Given Meganium's already weakened state, it didn't take much for the Pokemon to go down. A well placed Ice Beam and Peck later, Meganium was down for the count with no harm done to Nidoking. At the victory, Sandy remained silent and stone-faced, Nidoking banging his tail against the ground as it crouched, waiting for his next opponent.

Aaron didn't disappoint, being quick in releasing his fifth Pokemon. At the sight of his Jynx Nidoking let out a roar of a yell, the strength behind his tail hitting the ground rivaling the power he used behind his Earthquake. Neither waited long before launching into attacks at Sandy's dad's say so, Jynx letting loose a Icy Wind while Nidoking charged forward for an Iron Tail. The Icy Wind slowed him down, but he pushed through it to swing his now silver tail at the already moving Jynx. With a speed that Nathan didn't know Aaron's Jynx possessed, she dodged the Iron Tail and moved in close to Nidoking as his front once more faced her, and unleashed a powerful Ice Punch to his stomach.

Nidoking gave a grunt of pain, doubling over. Jynx moved back just enough to unleash a point blank Ice Beam.

In seconds, the final battle was over, Nidoking crashing to the ground in defeat, unconscious. For another few seconds, everything was quite. Sandy returned her last Pokemon, calm looking in Nathan eyes, but for all he knew, she was a raging inferno underneath for losing to Aaron once more, this time only being two Pokemon shy from beating him. Aaron, for his part, was a graceful winner. He returned his not so graceful, smug looking Jynx, nodding at Sandy with a small smile. Sandy drew in a deep breath, released it after a seconds pause, then returned the smile.

And just like that, any fear of Sandy being actually angry with Aaron left, and Nathan felt his own envy of the two leave as he ran out to them, a large grin on his face. The three of them might vary in age, have different future goals, and train their Pokemon uniquely from one another, but they were still friends. And Nathan couldn't have been happier that he'd met them on his journey.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	86. Chapter Eighty Five

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Five_

"So, when do you three plan on challenging Clair?" My mom asked when we returned back home after visiting the Pokemon Center. Raticate would be staying the night, just as a precaution, but Noctowl was able to stay with me as long as I took extra care when letting her out of her Pokeball. In a month's time, if there were regular Pokemon Center check-ups, then she would be able to have her cast taken off and start flying again.

I shrugged and paused the game that I was playing on my DS before answering. "I don't know about Nathan and Aaron, but I'll probably wait a bit. If I remember Clair correctly, then my Pokemon will need to be in top form to face hers."

"Hmm." My mom nodded in agreement. My dad and Aaron were off to the side talking while Nathan was sprawled out on the floor with some of our gathered Pokemon surrounding him for a nap. "Hopefully you three will be able to give her some excitement. For a while now things have been a little slow here and the few challengers that do come are no real challenge for Clair. She's gone so far as to randomly changing the rules or battle style," here my mom roller her eyes with a fond smile. "Just last week she had the challenger choose the Pokemon that she would battle with, and still won." I already knew this, of course, but Nathan didn't.

Nathan perked up at this, head tilted to the side in curiosity. Since he was on the floor, though, the effect was lost. "She actually let someone _pick_ the Pokemon she battled with?"

My mom gave a small laugh. "Well, it wasn't so much that he knew _what_ Pokemon he was choosing from. She laid out her three Pokemon, still in their Pokeballs, and had him choose one of them. The one he picked out, he had to battle against. Bad luck, that boy. He chose her Kingdra," she gave another small laugh, one which I joined in on this time. I might not have liked Pokemon when living here not so long ago, but everyone who did live here knew of Clair's Pokemon. They of course change with time, but the Pokemon that she used to battle challengers with stayed the same. She always used the same three species for challengers; a Gyarados, a Dragonair, and a Kingdra. Her other Pokemon were only used in her battle against people like Lance, Trainers who beat her already, the current champion of any region, or if really pissed off by a challenger, against them. It was rare, but known to happen. She was ruthless that way.

"Huh. I wonder if she'll do that with any of us." Nathan wondered out loud. My mom shrugged then went back to the book she had been reading before sparking up the conversation in the first place. With the two of them once again busy, I went back to my game. It had been much to long since I last played on my DS.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was early the next morning that I headed over to the Pokemon Center to both pick up Raticate and to have Noctowl's first of many check-ups. Nathan was still asleep when I left, but the rest of the house was up and getting ready for the day.

"Your Raticate is doing well. It will take some time for his fur to grow back, and there might be some patched that'll not be quite as full, but his burns are healed for the most part. His skin will be a little tender, but that will pass," Nurse Joy explained as she handed over my Raticate's Pokeball.

I smiled and thanked her, clipping Raticate's Pokeball to my belt. When I turned to leave, Nurse Joy called out to me once more.

"And Sandra," I turned to face her, questioning, "it's good to have you back." She gave me a gentle smile, one that I returned. Outside of her job, she had an unbelievable poker face. I couldn't wait to play a hand against her.

"It's good to be back," I gave her a wave and headed out of the Pokemon Center. Outside I saw someone that I hadn't seen in what felt like years.

The blue haired woman's face lit up at the sight of me, a cheshire-grin worming its way on her lips. "Well, well, if it isn't Sandra McKnight. Your parents were telling me that you'd be returning from your Pokemon Journey soon."

I nodded to her. "Hello, Clair. Good to see you again." We were now standing in front of one another, Clair's arms crossed across her chest.

"I must say, Sandra, I was sure that you'd never leave on a journey. Imagine my surprise when you mother told me that you had, indeed, left for one."

I shrugged. "What can I say? My dad has his persuasive moments."

Clair laughed. "Yes, your mother told me the story." Her grin widened. "I take it that you plan on challenging me?"

"Yes, along with my two friends."

"Oh? So they'll be three of you wanting to challenge me?" She purred out, her eyes falling half close as he grin turned back into its cheshire-grin. I didn't exactly like that look on her face. It couldn't spell out anything good for me.

"Yes," I answered slowly, my eyes suspicious. Just what was she thinking now?

"And I imagine that you're more than aware of my…boredom?"

"Yes," I said once more, now more suspicious then ever as an idea of what she was aiming at formed in my mind.

"Well then, Sandra, how would you and your friends feel about having a battle with me this afternoon? Here's how it'd go…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wait, wait, wait! She said _what_?" Nathan exclaimed out in disbelief.

"Clair wants to have a three-against-one battle." I calmly repeated to Nathan's shocked face. Aaron rivaled Nathan's wide eyes with his own at my words. "We each get use one of our Pokemon to battle against her three."

"So, let me get this straight," Nathan said, hands ensnarled in his hair with eyes closed, "Clair wants to battle the three of us at the same time, and if just one of our Pokemon come out of it, then we all win the final badge?"

From her position in the corner of the room, my mom scoffed and shook her head. "I told you that she was bored and having challengers do bizarre things to liven up the battles. This is just one of those bizarre things." She pointed a finger at us, a look of mock serious on her face. "Just be glad that it's not her saying that you can only use one Pokemon against her three. Or have a full six-against-six battle. Not _that_ one was a slaughter."

Nathan reared back in shock. "She actually did that to someone?"

"Oh, yes. The young boy, who had to face three of her Pokemon with only one of his own, made her mad, you see. Never a good thing to make the Gym Leader mad; especially not when the Gym Leader is all that's keeping you from earning your final badge."

"Is…is that even _allowed_?" Nathan questions out loud to no one in particular, dazed.

My dad gave a laugh from his place next to mom. "When you're the eighth Gym Leader, and have been for years on end, and your cousin is Lance, _and_ you have connections in the Elite Four not only here, but in other regions as well, you can do pretty much whatever you want as long as no one's hurt in the process."

"This is just crazy…" Nathan mumbled out, hands no longer pulling at his hair but at his side, limp.

I gave him a curious look. "You you rather us try taking her on one by one with whatever else she might come up with?"

Here Nathan grimaced, no doubt remembering some of the stories that my parents had told him about Clair and her love of changing up the rules. He shook his head.

Finally, Aaron spoke up. "I say we do it. We have another hour to plan; we need to use that time to work out a winning strategy. After all, we each get to use only one Pokemon. We need to make them into a winning team."

Both Nathan and I nodded, serious. It was time for out final Gym Battle, and we were all determined to win on the first go. Well, second go for Aaron, but I wasn't about to say anything.

"Right, so from what I remember of my battle, Clair used a Gyarados and a Dragonair. And your mom was saying something about a Kingdra earlier, right?" He questioned as he moved to sit next to Nathan and me on the couch, turned to face the two of us. Between the two I nodded.

"Yeah, those are the three Pokemon that we're going to be pitted against."

"So we'll have to plan around them…" Aaron trailed off, lost in thought.

"It doesn't help that two of them are Dragon-Typed. Gyarados should be easy enough, though, if one of us uses an Electric-Type move on it, right?" Nathan chimed in, eyes narrowed as he thought.

I shook my head. "Remember, Nathan, Clair is the eighth Gym Leader for a reason. If we go in thinking that we'll be able to defeat _any_ of her Pokemon that easy, it'll end badly."

Nathan gave a sheepish shrug. "I can be hopeful, can't I?"

"Nothing wrong with being hopeful," Aaron spoke up, back with us, "just be sure that you do more than rely on hope." He gave us a small smile. "Nathan's right, though. It'll be good going in with Pokemon that knows either Ice-Type moves, or in Gyarados' case, Electric and Rock-Type moves."

"Our biggest problem is going to be her Kingdra," I cut in, bring attention to me. "None of our Pokemon know any Dragon-Type moves, and those are Kingdras biggest disadvantage." I ruffled my hair with a hand and let out a frustrated sigh.

"There's also her Dragonair's speed _and_ power we have to look out for," Aaron took over the conversation with a grimace. If I was any guess, it was her Dragonair that he had lost to, and badly from the looks of it. But he'd improved since then. Separate, and our chances of defeating Clair was maybe at fifty percent on a good day. Together, though, we stood a much better chance. "However we look at it, we have to be real careful in not only picking out our choices of Pokemon, but how we have them battle all together. We've never all battled together before, and it'll no doubt be a challenge."

Suddenly, a memory occurred to me. "Hey, did either of you go up against the Monks at Sprout Tower?"

Nathan looked confused at the sudden change of topic, but a light appeared in Aaron's eyes, showing that he had followed my train of thought. We shared a not so innocent grin. Nathan looked between the two of us with plain confusion.

"I don't get it. What does having to battle against a group of…" Like with Aaron, understanding lit up in his eyes. "Oh, I get it." He joined in on our crooked smiles. And like that, our planning really started.

Watch out Clair; we were in it for the win, and with our brains combined, we weren't going to go down without one hell of a fight.

.-.-.-.-.-.


	87. Chapter Eighty Six

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Six_

Clair met us in the lobby, arms crossed over her chest with a smirk on her lips. She looked over Nathan and Aaron, sizing them up no doubt. She paused at Aaron, a small furrow between her eyebrows. Maybe she recognized him? She didn't act, though, instead turning back towards me.

"Ready for our battle, then? I really hope that you three actually used the time that I gave you well." Her smirk widened into a grin full of pearl white teeth that seemed to gleam. "I'm just itching for a good battle."

I returned her smile, my own resembling that of Gengar's. "Don't worry, Clair. We're ready to walk away with your badge."

"Such confidence," she started as she motioned for us to follow her. "If you battle anything like your parents or sister, then I believe it." She turned her head just enough to look at us. "Try not to let me down, hmm?"

As she turned forward again, Nathan, Aaron, and I exchanged looks. Nathan grinned, while Aaron gave a cool smile, eyes determined. I kept my Gengar inspired grin firmly in place.

When we arrived at the battle arena, Clair took up her spot while the three of us took ours. The referee was already in place, ready to call a start to the battle. Once more the three of us exchanged looks. I quickly went back over our plan, and from the looks of it, so was Nathan and Aaron. I reached for my Pokeball as the referee began to speak. He told us what we already knew, so I tuned him out, instead giving a quick once over of the arena.

It was a rather large arena. In the middle sat a huge body of water that would hold her Gyarados and Kingdra, the rest of the arena made up of flat ground. It'd be a little difficult for Aaron's and my Pokemon, but good for Nathan's. if everything went according to plan.

Before I knew it, it was time to release out Pokemon. AS the Gym Leader, Clair released hers first. As expected, her Gyarados and Kingdra went inside the water while her Dragonair stayed in front of her on dry land. For the moment, at least.

We released our Pokemon as one, and since we all prepped our Pokemon before we left, none were surprised at the surrounds or facing off against three other Pokemon together. My Nidoking gave a gravely growl at the sight of the water, but otherwise didn't react. On the other side of Nidoking, Aaron's Jynx gave off a grace that was unexpected, but not unwelcomed. She eyed the three opposing Pokemon with disdain, Kingdra and Dragonair more so than Gyarados. Finally, Nathan's Ditto wobbled back in forth, slyly making its way forward towards the body of water.

At the say so of the referee, the three of us called out our planned moves as one.

"Transform!" Nathan called out, making sure to go first. His Ditto wasted no more time in doing as asked. In seconds it was a large Gyarados and in the water, ready of its next command as Nathan flipped open my Pokedex. As he quickly looked up his Pokémon's new move set, Aaron and I chimed in with our own attacks to make sure Nathan had enough time to go over the moves. In short, we acted as a distraction.

As one, Aaron and I gave our shared commands. "Ice Beam!"

"Dive!" Clair called out, and all three of her Pokemon did just that, Dragonair quick in slipping into the water with elegance that fitted it's species. When the two Ice Beams hit the water, it froze a thin layer over it in a small circumference. None of us were worried.

"Done," Nathan said soft enough for just us to hear. Aaron and I nodded. It was time to get started. "Ditto, move!"

Clair looked confused at the order, but as Ditto, still as a Gyarados, moved out of the water and onto dry land, a vague look of understanding appeared on her face.

"Out, now! Out of the Water!" Clair called out to her three submerged Pokemon. Too late, though. The second that Ditto's copied tail was out of the water, I called out to Nidoking.

"Thunderbolt."

With a roar Nidoking unleashed a Thunderbolt onto the body of water. Electricity danced on top of the water, and since I have the opportunity, I called out for another one. Nidoking was only too happy to oblige. The water might have helped them in avoiding the Ice Beam, but it turned into their bane as the water acted as one big conduct for the two Thunderbolts. True. Dragonair and Kingdra wouldn't have much damage done to them, but Gyarados on the other hand…

A dark shape was fast approaching the surface of the water, and in seconds it turned into a floating, unconscious Gyarados. Dragonair and Kingdra followed, both still conscious, but none of us were surprised by such. Not even five minutes in, and one of Clair's Pokemon were defeated.

As the referee called Gyarados out, Clair looked at us with surprise.

"You tricked me. You actually managed to trick me. I've been a Gym Leader for close to ten years now, and you lot managed to trick me." She shook her head, a slow grin forming on her lips that was far from kind. "Well, then, I'll just have to step my game up a bit then. Don't think that I'll be making such a rookie mistake again!" She recalled her fallen Pokemon, her remaining two eyeing ours with cautious eyes.

We stayed silent. I looked over at Nathan to make sure that he was ready. He nodded, and I looked back towards the battle field. Now for the real battle.

"Continue!" The referee called out, and we were back at it.

"Hydro Pump at the Nidoking!" Clair called out to her Kingdra, who turned in the water to face Nidoking. I wasn't worried.

"Jynx, cover!"Aaron called out. Jynx can to stand in front of Nidoking as my Pokemon moved back. Clair once more looked confused, though there was some frustration mixed in as well. When the Hydro Pump hit Jynx, instead of harming the Pokemon, it looked to actually heal it some. By the end of the attack, Jynx was pushed back some, but looking none worse for wear, Nidoking only splattered with a light spray of water. He looked annoyed at being wet, but not hurt.

I grinned at Clair's astonished look.

"Don't tell me that that Jynx has the ability Dry Skin!" Clair yelled out, momentarily putting our battle on hold. Well, on her part anyway. Through our little skirmish Nathan took the chance to have his Ditto slip back into the water, waiting. His part of the battle would be next.

"Specially bred for it!" Aaron called back to her, grinning so wide I was surprised it didn't hurt. "Now, Ice Beam, Jynx at Dragonair!"

"You too, Nidoking!"

Once more the two fired off their Ice Beams as once, combining them into one powerful beam. Dragonair nimbly dodged the attack, it once more freezing a circle of the water that it hit.

"Dragonair, Flame Blast on that Jynx!" Clair called out, and this time it was Nathan who responded.

"Ditto, cover!" Just like when Jynx had covered for Nidoking, Ditto moved to be between the oncoming Flame Blast and Jynx, taking the hit with a burst of water. By the end of it Ditto looked a little singed, but not harmed enough for it to be a hindrance.

"Again?" Clair exclaimed, frustrated.

I laughed excitedly, not able to help it. "You wanted a fight, Clair, and we're giving you one! Like this, we can cover for each other's weaknesses!"

She didn't respond, instead yelling out her next attack.

"Both of you, Dragon Pulse!"

Well, looked like she really was taking off the kid gloves.

"Dive, Ditto!"

"Light Screen, Jynx!"

"Rock Slide, Nidoking"

Our three commands were mashed together in our rush to prepare for the two oncoming moves, and in the end only Ditto was able to come out of them unscathed. For Nidoking and Jynx, their moves were able to lessen the attacks, but not completely stop them. They were both slightly worse for wear, but not about to drop out anytime soon.

In the few seconds that we had as a pause, the three of us shared a look and nodded. It was time to kick things up a notch.

"Ditto, Twister from below!"

"Nidoking, Ice Beam on Dragonair!"

"Jynx, same for you!"

"Dragonair, get out of there! Kingdra, use—no!"

From below Dragonair the water began to circle, the power of Twister having begun to take effect. In only a span of seconds Dragonair was trapped in the Twister, and as such, unable to dodge the combined Ice Beams. The Ice Beams, together with the two Thunderbolts earlier and Twister, was just too much for the Pokemon. With a cry, it started to sink in the water, unconscious. Clair quickly recalled it before it went fully under, looking both impressed with us and annoyed.

"Well done, you three. You're definitely giving me the battle that I wanted. But don't think that we're done for yet! You still have to deal with Kingdra! Now, Kingdra, Hyper Beam on that Gyarados imposter!"

I felt my eyes widen, and beside me Nathan tensed up.

"Dive, Ditto!"

"Don't let it get away, Kingdra! After it!" Obediently the Kingdra dived after Ditto, making it impossible to see what was happening.

"Can a Pokemon even _use_ Hyper Beam underwater?" I asked Aaron anxiously.

"I—I don't know," was his not so helpful reply. He looked as anxious as I felt. If Ditto went down, taking down Kingdra would be that much harder. We were relying on using the Gyarados' Dragon-Typed moves to have the upper hand.

My question on whether or not Hyper Beam could be used under water was answered when without warning water exploded outward, spraying Nidoking and Jynx. Nidoking gave a roar, while Jynx looked refreshed. My attention was brought back to the water, though, when Nathan gave a distressed noise. There, floating on the water with help of Kingdra, was his unconscious Ditto, no longer a Gyarados. Nathan gave a shaky breath as he returned his Pokemon. Aaron and I exchanged worried looks, but turned back to the battle field at the sound of Clair talking.

"See, even when outnumbered and injured, my Kingdra brought one of your Pokemon down with no problem. I hope that your remaining two Pokemon are ready, because I'm not going easy on them."

I tuned her out, and hurriedly spoke to Aaron.

"Let's do a combo while Kingdra is recharging. You do Ice Beam and I'll do Thunderbolt."

He gave me a sharp look, but nodded. We needed to act fast to catch the Kingdra while it was recovering from using Hyper Beam. Now would be one of the best time to act, and we weren't going to let the chance go.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Ice Beam!"

It was, I admit, a beautiful thing to see, the combination of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Though Clair yelled for her Pokemon to dodge, it was just too tired to move at its normal speed, and as such, was nailed with both attacks.

At the end of it, I felt my jaw loosen.

"Well, damn," I whispered, not sure what to feel.

"Dragon-Types aren't known for being pushover, but this is just crazy," Aaron responded grimly, the three of us eyeing the still conscious Kingdra with a mix of emotions.

Clair started on another one of her tirades about her Kingdra, and I used the short time offered to talk to Aaron about a half formed planned.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," his answer was automatic, and I couldn't help the grin.

"Then get ready for one last attack." He nodded, and on my other side Nathan whispered a 'Good luck'. "Nidoking. Flatter." I ordered calmly. Clair stopped mid-sentence, annoyed at being interrupted. Her annoyance turned to surprise and then vague worry once she realized what we were doing.

"Kingdra, don—!" But it was too late. Nidoking's dark whispered words had already taken affect, Kingdra confused.

"Now, Aaron!" I urged him. It was all he needed to act.

"Jynx, one last Ice Beam. It's time to end this battle." Aaron ordered just as calmly as I had, his arms now crossed over his chest with a small smile on his lips.

"Dodge it, Kingdra! Dive!" Clair yelled out in an attempt to get her Pokemon to hear her. It must have heard her, as the dazed pokemon turned to face its Trainer, but that was all. The Ice Beam hit the Pokémon's back, full force. This time around, there were no more chances for Kingdra.

At the call of the referee, the battle was over. Kingdra had been taken down. We had just won our last badge.

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: After this, there will be one more chapter, and then my story will be finished. Who knew that my guess so many chapters ago on how many more chapters would be left was actually right? I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint.

Until next chapter, my dear readers.

~Nana


	88. Chapter Eighty Seven

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon besides for a few of the games.

_Chapter Eighty Seven_

I turned the Rising Badge this way and that, the hype of winning it still not having worn off. It had already been two days since Nathan, Aaron, and I had walked away with them from Clair, and two days since I had received my precious IPod back from my parents. After hanging around for these last couple of days, Nathan and Aaron were preparing to leave, ready for the next chapter of their lives.

I shook my head with a small grin. I quickly placed the last badge with the rest of my badges; the eight of them were pinned to my wall on a white strip of cloth above my dresser. My dad had thought that it'd be nice to frame them since I had refused to take on the Elite Four just yet. As they were now, they were not only in plain view, but placed in a way that I could unpin them whenever I wanted.

I left my room, Growlithe at my heels. Nathan and Aaron would be leaving this morning, and I wanted to make sure that I had enough time with them to say goodbye.

They were already in the kitchen when I arrived and greeted me with half-hearted smiles. It was quiet, no one knowing what exactly to say. After spending so much time together, sharing so many experiences, it was weird splitting up, going our separate ways once more.

Finally, Nathan spoke up. Leave it to him to break any awkward or tense filled silences. I'd miss that about him.

"So," he started only to pause to search for the right words to say, "We'll keep in contact, right?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed then blushed at my outburst as Nathan grinned and Aaron gave a small amused smile. "You guys already have my Pokegear number, and know where I live if either of you are in the area." I shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

"And you both have mine." Aaron flashed us both a larger smile. "I might not always pick up, but I'll return any missed calls. Don't be surprised if I end up calling one of you when I get lonely without you two there to keep me amused."

Nathan and I both gave a small laugh, the air lightening and the conversation eased. Any tension that we had melted away, replaced by memories and jokes being retold, promises to never forget one another, and our wishes and dreams for the future told.

Nathan was heading back to Ecruteak City to train under Morty. In time he was hoping to become a Ghost-Type Master, being able to compete on the same level as people like Agatha, Phoebe, and Shauntal from the various Elite Fours. He wanted to become Johto's Ghost-Type Elite Four Member.

Aaron, on the other hand, was heading back out to strengthen up his Pokemon even more so before taking on the Pokemon League. After that, the idea of exploring the other regions sounded appealing to the older man. If he ever did go to some far away region, Nathan and I promised to call him every day until he returned home. He took it as a joke, but Nathan and I shared a positively evil grin.

As for me, well, I held no such dreams of becoming a Master of any sort, or taking on the Pokemon League. Maybe in time, but for the time being, all I really cared about was spending time home with my parents and Pokemon. Maybe talk to Clair about getting a Dragon Scare for my Seadra. Find a Water Stone for Poliwhirl. Maybe even start taking on the Trainer's that came wanting to face Clair to weed out the one's that just waste her time.

My dad was pushing for me to go out and explore another region as well; maybe find my sister, wherever she was at the moment. Unlike Aaron, the thought of having to go out and collect _another_ eight badges, spend another good few months in some strange land, and fight my way to the top did _not_ sound appealing. My dad had sulked, but said no more on the issue.

Before I knew it, it was time for Nathan and Aaron to leave. They'd still travel with one another for a while, at least until they reached Ecruteak City. I hugged one at a time, then both at once. I wished them luck, my eyes tearing up just the slightest. My parents and Pokemon, all of which that I had let out to see them off, said nothing at the few tears that fell. I was happy for them, really I was, but I wasn't about to say that I wouldn't miss them, either.

Maybe, in a few weeks time, Nathan wouldn't mind a surprise visit…

.-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning, I woke dazed. For a moment I thought that I was in a Pokemon Center, Nathan and Aaron in another room and we were all still together on our journey. The fog lifted at the sight of my walls, the cloth holding my badges bringing me back to the present. I turned over and snuggled into the back of Growlithe, my Pokémon's warmth keeping any depressed thoughts away. I took comfort in the fact that I still had my Pokemon, though what I'd do with them was still up in the air. I didn't want to turn them into pets, after all.

They deserved more than that.

Without realizing it, I had drifted off, only to wake at Growlithe moving.

I blinked groggily, but got up. I rubbed at my eyes as Growlithe hopped off my bed. My Pokemon walked out of my room, the door open.

Wait, what? I was sure that I closed that… I felt my eyes widen as I did a once over of my room.

My badges were gone. In their place was a folded map of, a sticky note stuck to it. I was up and moving towards it in seconds. I ripped the sticky note off, a sense of dread rising in my gut. For the time being, I ignored the ticket that fell out of the man and onto my dresser.

_If you want your badges back, then match them in number in the Sinnoh region. Your flight leaves at noon. Remember to have fun!_

_-Love, Dad_

"Damn it, dad!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note**: Well, my dear readers, this is it. A little over a year and three odd months later, and the last chapter of _'It All Started With Some Blackmail And A Bribe' _is posted. This story has been a blast for me to write, and I do hope that it was as much fun to read. For a beginner writer, the response that this story of mine received was astounding. And for that, I thank you all for coming along this long ride with me. Some have been with me since the beginning and for that I thank you especially. I do hope that the ending has been worth this long wait.

Until next time, my dear readers,

~Nana


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